


Redemption

by eurusholmmes



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Movie: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones, Movie: Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, This is a train wreck okay I do not know what to tag it as, please enjoy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 27
Words: 54,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23741626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eurusholmmes/pseuds/eurusholmmes
Summary: "Master, for years you have told me that Jedi are not allowed to love because it goes against the Jedi Code. However, when I watch the way you look at Master Stone, I can see that The Code has been broken for a long, long time." - Anakin Skywalker
Relationships: Obi-Wan Kenobi/Original Character(s), Obi-Wan Kenobi/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 29





	1. PLAYLIST:

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hunterpond](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunterpond/gifts).



> This is a mostly original fanfic I wrote in 2016, edited in late 2019, and am now posting here due to the request of the person I wrote it for. Enjoy! Let me know what you think!

[ PLAYLIST: OPALWAN ] 

- _Behind Blue Eyes - Limp Bizkit_

_\- Lullaby For A Soldier - Maggie Siff_

_\- Medicine - Daughter_

_\- Bleeding Out - Imagine Dragons_

_\- Little Did You Know - Alex and Sierra_

_\- Laughter Lines - Bastille_

_\- Hit Me With Your Best Shot - ADONA_


	2. OPAL HARMONY STONE: THE BEGINNING

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all started after a mission gone wrong, long before the war, and long after the créche...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER: When I wrote this initially, I knew SQUAT about how the initiation worked for the Order and thus went back and rewrote ALOT of this. I still said screw canon to some particular concepts I used in this, but we're gonna go with it. 
> 
> Happy reading!

[ PRE EP I: THE PHANTOM MENACE ]   
[ THIS IS THE PLACE WHERE IT ALL BEGAN ]   
  
\------  
  
 _10 year old Opal Stone peered up at her parents through a mass of blonde hair, her eyes fixated on the lightsabers clipped at their belts. She had been taught about the Jedi since she was old enough to comprehend speech, and it was a weapon she only yearned to hold one day. "We will begin to train the girl here with the other younglings. This is only because she is your daughter. Otherwise we would deny her entry." An older man, one with dark skin and kind eyes replied. She knew the look.. He was of Korun descent. "You two will report to the transport to begin our next search for the Sith Lord. We will destroy the Sith once and for all."  
  
Opal's parents, Lorelei and Parker Stone, knelt down beside their daughter and smiled softly. "Don't be scared, Opal." Her mother_ _said quietly, cupping her daughters cheek in her hand. "What do Mommy and Daddy always tell you?"  
  
"That a Jedi is supposed to be brave." Opal replied weakly. Her eyes widened as her father reached into the pocket of his robes and produced a key that unlocked the door to the closet in their apartment in Coruscant. The one she was never allowed into because it was a secret. "Are you going to die Daddy?" _  
  
_Parker Stone stared down at his little girl with sad eyes as he shook his head firmly. "We'll be back before you know it, O." He mused as he lightly nudged her side. The little girl wrapped her thin arms around her father as he turned towards Mace Windu. "Do you see the nice man right there?"_  
  
 _"The one with the purple lightsaber?" The Master Jedi smiled fondly at the little girl, his fingers curling around the hilt of his sword as an arc of purple light brightened up the room. "He's so cool!"_  
  
 _"He's going to teach you how to be a Jedi." Lorelei said softly, running her fingers through her daughters long blonde hair. "So you call him Master Windu, do you understand?" Ki-Adi-Mundi motioned to his wrist, silently announcing it was their time to depart from the Temple. "Stay with Master Windu and Yoda, Opal. They will teach you what you need to know."_  
  
 _The two parents eyed their daughter as Mace wrapped his arms around her shoulders, flashing a kind smile. "I love you!" She exclaimed, waving frantically as they disappeared from the room, the doors sliding shut behind them. She didn't need to hear it from their lips to know they loved her too. "So, you are my new Master?"_  
  
 _"To meet the other younglings, you are going." Yoda said softly, leading the young girl through the Jedi Temple to the small room where he led the classes for the Younglings. She had always been excited to learn because she wanted to be strong just like her mother, and brave just like her father. "Children, this is Opal Stone. Be your new classmate, she will."_  
  
 _Opal studied the other children with narrowed eyes until she saw a boy in the corner of the room. He was tall, with strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes, and appeared to be at least two years older then she was. He had an aura of power that none of the other children possessed. "Hello." She greeted. "I'm Opal."_  
  
 _12 year old Obi-Wan Kenobi smiled softly at the girl as she approached him. She was peculiar, with wide doe eyes and her toothy grin, massive blonde curls pulled back into a ponytail high on her head. In the time he'd spent training in the Jedi Temple, she had been one of very few children willing to approach him. "I'm Obi-Wan. It's nice to meet you."_  
  
 _"I can feel your power, Obi-Wan. I can feel it in.. in the Force-" She murmured quietly, ignoring the scornful stares from the other children. He'd been told he was a bright light in The Force.. but he'd never believed it. Not until then. "Are you powerful?"_  
  
 _"I want to be. I want to be a Jedi." He quirked an eyebrow at her as onyx eyes drifted up and down his body. "Do you think I'm powerful?"_  
  
 _She pursed her lips before lifting her head to look at him, given that he was a good two to three inches taller then she was. "You want to know what I think?" Opal asked. "I think you're magnificent."_  
  
That was how it all began. In a training room of the Jedi Temple, where the boy everyone ignored and the girl who wanted to be powerful crossed paths. 

The first time Opal cried in front of anyone who wasn't her parents was when she received word of Parker and Lorelei being declared dead after less then a week since departing for their mission. She had been called into the Council session in the midst of training, adorned in newly acquired Jedi robes and brown boots.  
  
 _"Young Stone, can you come in here?" Yoda had taken interest in Kenobi and Stone, since the two of them were nearly inseparable whenever they were training together. Obi-Wan taught her how to be stronger in controlling her emotions, and Opal taught him how to be more humble and how to have more compassion for people. Kenobi stood closely to Stone as she entered the Council room with her head held high. "Have some news on your parents, we do."_

_Given that he was much further ahead in his training, Obi could feel the guilt that radiated in each member of the Jedi Council. What he didn't understand was why he felt so little grief. "Are they coming back?!" Opal cried out happily, turning her head to beam at him. "Will they be a part of my training as well?"_   
  
_When no one replied, her smile died as quick as it had been born._   
  
_Mace Windu bowed his head and shook it. "Opal, your parents were killed in a fight during their mission, and were unable to be rescued. We lost them both. Our condolences." She ran over Master Yoda's words from earlier that day in her head as rage overtook her, and everything around the room began to shake._   
  
_Fear and anger are both a path to the dark side. Control these, you must._   
  
_Her Master watched intently as the daughter to two of their best Jedi shook visibly with grief, brown eyes flashing open as they moved to gaze back at him. Before Opal could form a coherent sentence to convey her emotions, Obi-Wan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. She visibly sank into his embrace as he held her against his chest._

_"Will you take care of the girl, young Kenobi?"_

Yoda already knew at that point. He knew that Kenobi and Stone would be revered in the Order. A force to be reckoned with.   
  
_Opal wept silently against his chest, her fingers curled into the fabric of his Jedi robe so tightly that they had begun to turn white. "Yes, Master Yoda." Obi-Wan replied. He peered down at the girl clutching his robes as if he were her lifeline with soft blue eyes. He looked at her like that quite often. "Always."_  
  
As the years went on, Opal Stone grew into a woman of unspeakable power. Not the most powerful of the Jedi - _oh no_ \- but one who struggled with the anger over her parents unjust deaths, forcibly shoved into the farthest corner of her mind because _Jedi didn't do anger._ Only Sith did. A good Jedi was supposed to just release their feelings into The Force. 

It was a good thing she wasn't a perfect Jedi.

In this universe, Master Mace Windu oversaw her training: One woman made of chaos, a tempest, the spark to light the fire. He'd been rather familiar with the personalities of both of her parents before they'd died and she happened to be the perfect combination of them both. 

It wasn't until Opal was reunited with her uncle - _Qui Gon Jinn -_ that she saw the man Obi-Wan Kenobi had become through his own padawanship and through their relationship that bloomed as young children. Even after all the years apart.. he was still _magnificent._  
  
  



	3. The Phantom Menace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reunited and it feels so good... well.. mostly.

Opal leaned against the stone railing of the courtyard overlooking Theed, onyx irises sweeping over the people as they were beginning their daily routines. The Jedi Council had sent her here to work with two Jedi Knights to rescue Queen Amidala from the Trade Federation. Every aching moment that passed day by day was spent in anxious anticipation about the moment she was to be appointed as a Council Knight and her braid cut off by her Master. It was the moment you dreamt of from the _moment_ you started as a youngling. She had refrained from ever taking action against the High Council for the unjust murder of her parents - even though they claimed to have no idea who the assailant was and had simply swept the incident under the rug - knowing she still had one more member of her lineage alive in the Order. Qui-Gon Jinn - her fathers brother, her _uncle_ \- who had become Master to Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

Her thoughts drifted to Obi-Wan. One of the first friends she'd made who had also ended up becoming one of the _greatest_. Despite the lapse in time that had occurred since they'd seen each other, she greatly missed the one person who'd made her feel like she was _worth something_ in the Jedi Order. "Opal!" A baritone voice called out. She turned sharply and grinned as Qui-Gon appeared on the landing pad, sheathing his lightsaber as he left the shuttle and opened his arms to greet her. "Hello, dear niece! It is so good to see you, and so grown up."

Opal pulled her uncle into a tight hug and buried her face in his neck. It had been so long since someone from her family had embraced her. "It is very good to see you too uncle. It has been a long time since I embraced somebody I cared for so deeply." She peered behind him, expecting to see a young padawan following on his heels. "Forgive me if it seems too nosy, but where is your padawan?"   
  
"Oh! I'm surprised he hasn't shown his face yet. He's normally so upfront. We just got back from the Invasion, after all. Obi!" Her heart pounded against her chest as a man who looked to be a few years older then her appeared. He was well built and stood several inches taller then her. His physique was, _admirable,_ to say the least. With those piercing eyes and strawberry blonde hair, wearing that familiar look of adoration she'd seen as a ten year old stepping into the training room for the first time. "Come and meet our third ambassador to the Chancellor."

Opal stepped off of the staircase and tilted her head as a breathtaking smile spread across Obi-Wan's face. He parted his lips slightly, both of them eyeing each other intently before he decided to speak. "Do you think I'm powerful?" He murmured, the sunlight glinting against his hair.   
  
She grinned back at him, a genuine smile she had not shown in a long time. " Oh, I have missed you." She breathed. "I think you're _magnificent._ I don't think I've ever been so thrilled to see such a handsome face, Kenobi." 

Obi-Wan eyed his Master's confused expression through his peripheral vision. Qui-Gon had usually been too buried in holocrons and data pads to really pay attention to the blooming relationship created between them upon her initiation as a Padawan. "I'm still going to be a Jedi Knight before you are, Stone."   
  
Opal snorted lightly as she tossed her braid over her shoulder. "Yeah, and I _still_ can't beat you in a saber duel." That was _partially_ true. He'd mastered Ataru far before she had. "It's nice to see that your sarcasm is still fully intact." She retorted. Qui-Gon tugged lightly on both their arms as he motioned to the castle where the Viceroys were supposedly holding Queen Amidala. "The Viceroys have captured the Queen. It's our job to get her back."   
  
Over the years of being Master Windu's padawan - which made her heavily involved with The Council, much to her displeasure - she'd learned quite a bit about the affairs of The Senate and had thus gathered a considerable amount of information about Queen Amidala. She held alot of respect for the beliefs that the older woman stood for. "Follow Master Jinn, Opal." Obi-Wan murmured, ignoring the Gungan as they snuck through the walkway just above where the guard accompanying the Viceroys was transporting the Queen and her handmaidens. " _Now!_ " 

The three Jedis jumped off of the balcony simultaneously. Opal landed in front of Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan, saber ignited and arcing forward, backward and through the small squad of droids. Obi-Wan could not help but admire the grace in which she fought with Makashi. It was a form that not many took to. "Get their weapons!" 

Opal turned back to the Queen and smiled brightly. "Hello Queen Amidala," She greeted. "We are ambassadors for the Supreme Chancellor.''   
  
"Well, in that case I believe your negotiations seemed to have failed, Ambassador."   
  
Obi-Wan rested a hand lightly on Opal's shoulder as her entire body tensed at the mans snide comment. He knew first hand how Opal reacted when she was directly informed that she had failed at something. She had a tendency to lash out and hurt the people she cared about. 

_Not now Opal. We have more important matters at hand._  
  
Opal nodded lightly and follow behind her uncle as they continued through the Palace to the hangar where their transport waited. She stood opposite of Obi-Wan and Captain Panaka as they eyed the occupied space where a battalion of droids waited. "There are too many of them!"   
  
"Under the circumstances, My Lady, I suggest you come to Coruscant with us." Qui-Gon chided. It was his duty to keep the Queen of Naboo safe and he wasn't about to fail the Council. Not now.   
  
"Thank you Ambassador, but my place is with my people."   
  
One of the young handmaidens lifted her head as Opal stepped forward, waving her hand in front of the Queens face. "I know what it's like to want to be with the people you care about most, and I know what it's like to be ripped away from them." She responded, her hand resting on the hilt of her lightsaber. "My Lady, it is most urgent that you come to Coruscant with us so we can protect you."   
  
Qui Gon lead the group into the hangar, motioning for Opal to stick as close to the Queen's handmaidens as possible. "We need to free those pilots." The Captain spoke, motioning to a group of pilots in the corner surrounded by droids. Opal snorted lightly as Obi-Wan immediately responded to the call, taking off in the other direction. "So, a female Jedi, hm?"

Opal eyed the Captain skeptically. Female Jedi rare? In what _galaxy -_ "Captain, there are a lot of crazy things going on in this galaxy as of right now. Me being a female Jedi is on the bottom of that list."   
  
Her thoughts began to race as blaster fire rang out around her. Qui-Gon's voice resounded above it - barking some kind of order to his Padawan and the accompanying soldiers to get the Queen's guard to the Royal Shuttle that would take them to Coruscant. Her chest swelled with an overwhelming desire to _protect_ the Jedi freeing the pilots. 

She pushed it down. _Not now._ Opal had a nasty habit of allowing her emotions to cloud her judgement since she was a child. Despite her best effort, it didn't seem to be going away anytime soon.   
  
Opal yelped as Obi-Wan rushed past her, grabbing her wrist and yanking her body into the transport with Qui-Gon following behind them. A breathless smile permeated her expression as she met the eyes of her best friend - wide and so very _blue_ \- as they struggled to regain the breath they'd lost in the heat of battle. "All these years later, Obi-Wan Kenobi." She mused. "And you are still full of surprises to me."   
  
The ache in her heart as she watched him move to the cockpit didn't go unnoticed. It had been a _long_ time since Opal had acknowledged a very simple fact - which happened to be the way that Obi-Wan made her _feel_ \- and given that they were Jedi, there _was_ no acknowledging that fact. They didn't get to act on their hearts desire. 

"Believe me, Opal Stone." He called out over his shoulder. "You have _a lot_ to catch up on."   
  
****  
  
Opal had only been on a select number of planets since she'd grown up on Coruscant, but Tatooine was the type that reminded her about how much she _hated_ heat. The climate was dreadful. She followed R2-D2 and Jar Jar Binks into a small room where one of the Queen's handmaidens had begun cleaning the droid. "You are a very dedicated handmaiden, Miss-"  
  


"Padmé. I'm Padmé." She replied. "And you are?"   
  
Opal smiled as she studied the younger girl. It was clear that Padmé was intelligent for her age, extremely perceptive and loyal to those who earned it. She was dedicated to the cause, and as of now, the cause was regaining Naboo. "Opal." She said. "I'm Opal Stone." Opal knelt down and gently shook Padmé's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. To be honest, I'm glad to have made a friend who isn't-" She coughed into her hand. " _Male._ " 

A giggle escaped the young woman lips as she stood, her hand cupping the top of the droid. "I am glad as well," She murmured softly. "It is nice to not have to hide from someone like yourself, one of such authority and stature. Which brings me to my next question.. What are you and the other young Jedi?"   
  
"Obi-Wan? We aren't anything. Just old friends." It was clear based on the look that Padmé was giving her that she was not convinced. "We grew up in the Jedi Temple together. He's very kind to me." _He's always been kind to me._  
  
Before she could continue, she felt her uncle coming through the ship to confront her, and turned around to speak with him. "Opal, I'm taking the droid and Jar Jar into the Space Port to see about parts to fix the ship. I want you to stay here with Obi-Wan and Captain Panaka. Do you understand?"   
  
She could _see_ the smirk growing on Obi-Wan's face. "Where is he?" She replied, resting her hands on her hips as he pointed to the cockpit where she could see Obi-Wan's ponytail sticking up above the pilot seat. "Is it a pleasure of yours to torture me endlessly?"   
  
Qui Gon grinned at the hard headedness of his niece, who mirrored his brother so perfectly it was almost frightening. "I think you care more about that boy then you would like to admit, which is against the Code, but I won't speak a word of it." She bit her lip as she contemplated entering the cockpit. "At least _talk_ to him, Opal. How much worse could it be?"   
  
She nodded wistfully and shooed him away, entering the cockpit and sitting down beside Obi-Wan who was working on examining the hyperdrive. "I was beginning to wonder if you were ever going to come and speak to me, Opal Stone." He mused. "It had been a while since we've had an actual conversation."   
  
"How much of my life story are you asking to hear, Kenobi?" She replied. Opal threw her legs against the dash and tucked her hands behind her head, shifting her weight in his direction to watch him work.   
  
He turned himself just enough that he could look at the control panels and her, stopping Opal in his tracks with just the meeting of their eyes. "Well,'' He started. "Everything that happened after the day you left to work at passing your Trials." 


	4. Chapter Two | The Phantom Menace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan and Opal meet The Chosen One: He comes in the form of a nine year old boy named Anakin Skywalker.

Opal groaned as they continued waiting for any news of her uncle in silence. The only thing they'd been informed of through the commlink was that getting the parts for their ship was proving to be difficult, and that they were running out of time. "I'm intrigued about this boy my uncle is talking about." She called out, drawing Obi-Wan's attention away from the commlink he rolled in his palm. "He must be strong in the Force. Otherwise he wouldn't be so interested in him." Opal sighed quietly. "He was always interested in far-fetched fantasies." 

Obi-Wan nodded as he came to sit down beside his friend. His admiration for Opal had grown considerably since they'd met in the créche, but hearing of the trials she'd endured since they'd been split apart only furthered his desire to protect her. "I have the utmost confidence in Master Jinn, Opal.. but there's something.. something in The Force.. something dark." 

She didn't reply for a long time after that. 

It was not long before dusk fell on the horizon spread before them, and Opal found herself curled up at Obi's side. Her fingers were wrapped around the cold metal of the key that had been fastened on a cord around her neck that she very rarely took off. "Obi-Wan, Opal, I need an analysis of this blood sample I'm sending you." The blonde yawned as she sat up, pressing her fingers into the buttons on the keypad in front of her. "I need a midichlorian count."   
  
Any grogginess from the lack of sleep dissipated when the data from Qui-Gon came through with the midi-chlorian counts of the blood sample he'd sent. Obi-Wan leaned just over her shoulder to peer at the results, unaware of the way his chest brushed her shoulders and sent shivers down her spine. "The readings are off the _charts_ , Uncle." She responded softly. "Over 20,000. I haven't seen a midi-chlorian count that high since Master Yoda, and even _his_ aren't that astronomical."   
  
"No Jedi has."   
  
"What does it mean?"   
  
"I'm not sure. I'll get back to you in the morning."   
  
Opal yawned again as the communications cut out, and she curled up in the co-pilot chair opposite of Obi-Wan. Her eyes had only just begun to close when she felt it - a _scream_ of warning in The Force - that had her sit up so fast she nearly collided with the panel in front of her. Obi-Wan, having sensed her discomfort through their newly reopened bond, leaned over and laid a hand on her shoulder to ground her. "Opal." He whispered softly. "Are you alright?"

Brown eyes widened as they moved to meet pale blue. "I... The Jedi Council always made it to be like they were _dead._ Defunct. There's no cold like that which accompanies the presence of a Sith." She squinted out the transparisteel before her and into the dark. "He's here."   
  
  
***  
  
 _There is no emotion, there is only The Force_

_Opal wiped her face with the back of her hands as Yoda hovered just outside the door to the apartment where she'd been born. It still amazed her that her father and mother had not been kicked out of The Order, let alone why she'd been allowed in after The Council had realized she was the child of two Jedi. It just made them seem so much more hypocritical to anyone who came after her._

_"Stay long, we should not. Closed, this place is." Yoda spoke from behind her. "Get what you need, you must."_

_The 11 year old quickly scurried into her former bedroom to retrieve the bound book of flimsi from underneath her bed and her mothers wedding ring which had been hidden along with it. Everything had gone downhill upon finding out she was pregnant, and Lorelei Stone wasn't the type of woman to put her family at risk. The only reason why she had been allowed to stay on the Council was because of the respect that Master Windu and Yoda held for her and Parker. Even that was a reach._  
  
Opal shook her head to free herself from the memory. It had been a long time since she'd thought about it- "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost." Warm fingers grazed the back of her hand which hung limply where she'd laid it on the chair. She straightened her posture despite the stiffness in her neck and forced a smile to try to hide her fear.   
  
"I'm alright, Obi-Wan."   
  
The Jedi Padawan snorted at his friend as she kept her eyes trained on the horizon. "All these years, and you haven't changed." _This makes one of us._ "You're still a terrible liar." Her body relaxed as his fingers trekked upward and grazed the inner skin of her wrist, just like he'd used to do whenever she needed comforted as a child. There was so much about her and her life that Obi-Wan knew about - he knew more then most outside of her Master - and it only made her ache for what could never be. He seemed to realize that too because of the way she shied away from him. "Please don't push me out."   
  
The fact that he still wanted to be a part of her life baffled her because no one cared about the girl with the dead parents _._ No one cared about the girl who had _mourned_ the parents she'd actually _known._ "It's not you." Opal murmured in response, lifting her eyes to meet his own. "Believe me, Obi-Wan, it's not you. It's been a habit of mine for years. I'm just grateful that you and my Uncle are still around."   
  
As they had been strictly brought up on the ways of The Jedi Code, Obi-Wan and Opal were both aware that attachment was strictly forbidden. Which, in a sense, also met love was forbidden because love came _from_ attachment. It was against The Code to feel the way they did for one another because in most circumstances, it colluded their judgement and got them killed.   
  
Opal had made herself a vow the day her parents had died that she would never allow herself to fall in love with a Jedi. So far, she had managed to keep to that promise. The only issue with her promise was that every single time she had been in Obi Wans presence, Opal felt he had the capability to make her break it. He had shaken her word with a smile and a flash of blue eyes, with the way he touched her like he wanted to memorize every scar, every crack of her existence. Obi-Wan Kenobi would be the only reason she'd ever consider breaking it. 

Like all the other times, such as now, she had to swallow down her feelings and focus on the matters at hand. Like a young boy with a midichlorian count then any other Jedi in history.  


"Master Jinn has arrived outside, Opal." Obi-Wan called out, lifting his hand to force throw her lightsaber across the room from where he stood at the hangar bay door. She snorted at his bluntness as her lightsaber floated through the air until it safely landed in her hand. "Are you coming?"   
  
"You are quite the charmer, Obi-Wan Kenobi." She mused, lightly nudging him as the two Jedis walked into the scorching heat to meet Qui-Gon. "What's happened Uncle?"   
  
"We've acquired the parts to repair the ship. I'm going back. Some unfinished business. I promise not to be long."   
  
Obi-Wan crossed his arms as he and Opal slightly leaned into each other. "Why do I sense we've picked up another pathetic life form?" He asked.   
  
Opal nudged him lightly and clucked her tongue with distaste. "You fool," She chided. "We can't judge if it's another pathetic lifeform until it actually _gets_ here." Obi-Wan flashed her a skeptical look as she turned her attention back to her uncle who remained perched on top of the Eopie. "I take it this is about the child. What is it about him? Is he coming with us?"   
  
"He is." Qui-Gon said. "If it were not for Anakin, we would not have been able to obtain the parts we needed." He motioned to his Padawan with a flick of his hand. "Obi-Wan, get this hyperdrive generator installed." He nodded and took the hyperdrive from his master before turning back in the direction of the starship. "Opal, I want you to accompany me this time. You've always been perceptive. Maybe you'll see something about the boy that I don't.''   
  
Her eyes widened slightly- because when has the opinion of a Jedi Padawan _ever_ mattered? - but Opal nodded and allowed him to lift her behind him onto the Eopie. "Kenobi, She chided, wagging a finger at her best friend. He arched a brow and cocked his head at her. "I expect good reports or there will be trouble, sir." 

He bowed mockingly. "Oh, don't worry." Obi-Wan mused in reply. "You can count on me, _Miss Stone."_   
  
Qui-Gon looked and _felt_ like a tired father watching his child helplessly fall for the one person they couldn't have. It almost made him wish Obi-Wan and Opal weren't apart of an Order that required you to be celibate. Most of The Council knew about their bond and how they'd been the reason the other had managed to be picked by Masters, but outside of him, it seemed that most of the people who sat on The Jedi Council were ignorant of the very obvious relationship between his niece and his padawan. "Opal," He called over his shoulder. "Do you value my padawan?"

"Higher then most, Uncle." She replied softly, resting her cheek against his back as her arms wrapped around his waist. "He means the world to me, just like you do."

The only problem? Opal hadn't actually _told_ Obi-Wan that.   
  
"Do you care for him deeply?"   
  
She narrowed her eyes as they slowly came to a stop inside of the spaceport, and he grinned as she nearly toppled off the Eopie had it not been for his steady hand in The Force guiding her back onto the saddle. "If you're talking about _love,_ I disclosed that once already to Padmé. I don't believe in _love._ I promised myself after my parents were murdered that I'd never allow myself to fall for a Jedi."

"Why's that?"

"Because Jedi don't get happy endings."   
  
Qui-Gon whistled earnestly as they approached young Anakin Skywalker who was watching them with gleeful eyes. "You never know, my young niece." He replied. "The Force does often work in ways we don't understand." 

Opal introduced herself to Anakin and his mother Shmi, both of which were impressed by the female Jedi and how Anakin claimed he could _feel_ the power radiating off of her. "You-You're a Jedi too?!" Anakin exclaimed as he slung his bag across his shoulder. Only moments had passed since their arrival and she already loved his pure spirit and thirst for adventure. "Wow!"   
  
She stuck to the shadows of the Skywalker home as they were led inside, carefully analyzing Anakin's demeanor and his mannerisms as he ran around to collect his things from corners of the hut. He was exactly how Qui-Gon had described him to both herself and Obi-Wan. "I will partake in training Anakin. This meeting was not an coincidence, I assure you."   
  
Master Windu had told her it would be between his and Qui-Gons say if she was ready for her trials. Once they occurred and she passed them, she would be Knighted and would eventually choose her own Padawan. That was the way. She was _elated_ at the thought of it coming so _quickly._ "Does this mean I passed your test?" She asked eagerly. "I can perform The Trials upon our return?"   
  
"You have shown me that you have grown excessively throughout your training and are capable of being a Jedi." Qui-Gon replied. "I fully believe that if anything were to happen to me, you and Obi-Wan would train Anakin and teach him everything you know. For now.. though.. I will train the boy."   
  
Opal hadn't known a feeling of pride like this since she herself was a child and for _once_ in her life, she felt confident in herself and her abilities. "Anakin," Opal murmured as she rested a hand on his shoulder. It was easy to spot the fear of leaving everything he'd ever known behind in his eyes. She ached for him. Opal had only been a year older when her parents had dropped her into the créche at ten years old and had died before she'd left it. "Go and see your mother." 

The young boy ran back and embraced his mother as fully as his tiny arms would allow before turning back to his new family and running straight into her arms. Opal carried him as a mother carries her child - with her arms enveloping his body as he wound his legs around her waist - all the way through to the outskirts where the star ship waited for them.

Opal stopped in her tracks when she felt it. A shiver unlike anything she'd ever experienced coursed through her body, nearly causing her to drop Anakin as The Force whispered _run_ before her eyes snapped back across the plains to where she could just barely make out the form of a Zabrak walking towards them. 

All she saw was red.

"Go, Ani!" Qui-Gon yelled as he ignited his blade - illuminating the world in sapphire - before he urged her and the boy in the direction of the starship. Opal hurriedly scrambled up and into the starship before setting Anakin down on the floor and sprinting into the cockpit where Obi-Wan was bent over the controls. 

"Qui-Gon is in trouble." She said urgently. "Obi, we have to take off _now."_  
  
She just barely saw him _leap_ for the ship, carefully rolling inside before the door shut and they were leaving the atmosphere of Tatooine. Opal, Obi-Wan and Anakin all moved to meet The Jedi Master where he sat trying to regain his breath. "Are you alright?" Anakin exclaimed.   
  
"I sensed a presence last night when I was speaking with Obi-Wan." Opal murmured as she hesitantly met her uncles eyes. "I've been, ah, informed about the Sith. The Council believes they aren't real. That.. that _had_ to be a Sith Lord looking to retrieve the Queen, Uncle. His saber was _red._ "   
  
"We must be patient for now. Opal, take a rest and eat something. Join us later in the cockpit, and check on the boy. I will speak to your Master whenever we reach Coruscant about your readiness for The Trials." Obi-Wan resisted the urge for his jaw to fall at his Masters words as he stood, taking young Anakin from the room.   
  
A devious smirk grew on Opal's lips as she turned to meet Obi-Wan, expression smug. "You're kidding me, right? You finally beat me at something?" He deadpanned, running a hand through his hair that was slick with sweat. "I will be the first to admit.. I was not remotely prepared for that."   
  
"Oh, come on Kenobi. Be a little bit proud of me."   
  
All he could do was grin as they landed on Coruscant, unprepared for what was to come.


	5. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reposting this from another website. Was edited, but all mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy!

**The Phantom Menace**  
  
"We must speak to the Council. I'm afraid there is a matter that has become much more urgent." Opal turned away and looked to a terrified Anakin Skywalker, but not before she was pulled back into the grasps of Obi-Wan. "Not so fast, Opal Stone. You're coming too."   
  
Opal despised being the student to someone prominent on the Jedi Council, and she loathed having to actually converse with them. They'd never done anything to benefit her since her parents had been killed and had basically left her to fend for herself. Master Windu had been beneficial to her growth when she'd trained under him, but Plo-Koon and Yoda were the only ones she _really_ trusted with the things that were important, when she was most in need of guidance. 

"You'll be fine." Obi-Wan whispered, nudging her shoulder in a friendly manner like they normally did whenever the other was nervous. "Just try not to be so.. _you._ "   
  
"Gee, glad to know you appreciate me Obi-Wan." She mused softly, lifting her eyes and meeting those of her Kel Dior Master sitting across the room. Her face immediately went stoic of any emotion as she entered the room silently behind Qui Gon.   
  
"Impossible. The Sith have been extinct for a millennium!" A-Kia-D'Mundi, one of her fathers oldest friends exclaimed. The two of them had hated each other since she'd made fun of his skills with the Force when she was twelve, remarking that even a youngling could do better.   
  
"I have been taught much by Master Plo about how to identify a Sith Lord, and I agree firmly with Master Qui-Gon. It indeed was a Sith Lord."   
  
"Miss Stone, with all due respect, you are not qualified to speak in favor of Master Qui-Gon." Opals blood boiled as she turned to one of the other council members who sat to her right, his hands folded neatly in his lap. "You are still a Padawan, just like your friend Kenobi is as well. I suggest you do not speak."   
  
"I have been given the ability to speak since you let the _murder_ of my parents slide." She hissed angrily, storming past Obi-Wan as Qui Gon screwed his eyes tightly shut and exhaled _loudly_ through his nose. The Jedi Council had the tendency to stick their noses where they didn't belong, bicker far too much and far too long for any kind of problem that needed a solution, and she was growing _tired_ of the ineffectiveness of it. "I am so SICK of being treated like a child! When are they-"   
  
Obi-Wan appeared on the staircase opposite of the door as she emerged, and he threw his arms outward to wrap them around her waist. He didn't miss the way her body melted into his own or how she softened at the familiar embrace she found herself in. "You have to learn how to let go of your anger, Opal." He whispered, stroking his fingers through her hair as she buried her face in his neck. "You know what it leads to. I don't want to see you head down a path of destruction."  
  
She pulled away from him and swallowed the lump in her throat. "It's so _hard._ Master Plo has been aiding me in this for years, but it really hasn't _worked._ " Opal whispered, her voice cracking as she tried to hold back tears. "Please, Obi-Wan, help me."   
  
He took a deep breath and nodded before pressing the ghost of a kiss against her brow. "I will do all I can to help you heal, Opal. You mean a great deal to me, and I want all the best for you. I will help you with whatever you need."   
  
And in that moment of intimacy, she felt a small piece of the wall around her heart fall, and it was all because of the boy with the blue eyes who made her feel _powerful._  
  
***  
  
Opal couldn't help but smile as Anakin held his head up high, despite the pure fear that was coursing through his veins. "Anakin, I promise you will be alright." She whispered, kneeling down beside the young boy and resting a hand on his shoulder. "Qui Gon, Obi-Wan and I are going to do all we can to train you. Even if the Council says we can't."   
  
"Why would you disobey the Jedi?" He replied. "I thought you were all on the same side."   
  
The blonde froze at the boys words, her heart pounding erratically against her sternum. She had dedicated her life to the Jedi in memoriam of her parents, but she knew somewhere deep inside her heart that her beliefs were greatly different then the rest of the Councils. "We are, but when somebody allows murder to slide, it may or may not sway some people to believe otherwise. I've dedicated my life to the Jedi Anakin, and I won't ever forget what I've been raised to believe. Always fight for what you believe in."   
  
She felt Obi-Wan's fingers gently graze hers as they left the young boy behind in the Council room and he motioned for her to follow them. "The boy will not pass the Councils test, Master. He is too old." Obi-Wan said. "When Opal and I started as younglings, she wouldn't have made it in if it weren't for the death of her parents."   
  
That was true. Had her parents not died, she would've never had the opportunity to become a Jedi in the first place. She would've never met her best friend, and she would never experienced these feelings he made her feel every time they were together. "Obi-Wan is right, Uncle." She replied. "Despite your words, I do not believe the Council will allow Anakin to continue into his training. We will have to defy them if we wish to make him a Jedi."   
  
"Anakin will become a Jedi. I promise you."   
  
Opal admired Qui Gon for the same reason Obi-Wan admired her. They both held that fiery devotion to do what needed to be done for the greater good, and even when told no, they still did it anyways. "Do not defy the Council, Master. Not again."   
  
"I shall do what I must, Obi-Wan. That's not just in my blood, it is also in Opal's blood too."   
  
She was glad for the red dusting across the sky to welcome the dusk, the glow against her cheeks was enough to hide the growing blush on her face. "Master, if you would do what you were told, you would _be_ on the Council. They will not go along with you this time."   
  
"You still have much to learn, my Young Apprentice." Qui Gon turned towards Opal who was standing behind them, her brown eyes locked on Obi-Wan leaning against the railing. The emotion flooding her eyes wasn't unnoticeable. "Opal, dear, could you leave us for a moment?"   
  
"Of course Uncle."   
  
Qui Gon turned back to his apprentice, crossing his arms as he watched the young woman vanish behind a set of doors. "Obi-Wan, I can see the way you look at my niece." Obi-Wans eyes widened slightly as he turned towards the man beside him. "It is clear that she means much more to you then just a friend."   
  
"You know the Code, Master. Jedi are not allowed to fall in love, even if it is with another Jedi. Opal and I both know that to break the Code means to be expelled from the Jedi Order. We've both dedicated our lives." His tone softened considerably. "She means a great deal to me, yes. I would not call it love."   
  
"Do you think you could ever fall in love with Opal?"   
  
Obi Wan pursed his lips before allowing his eyes to fall to the ground. "In all honesty Master, I already feel an incredible need to protect your niece. I would not be surprised if I give my heart to her in years to come."   
  
***  
  
Opal leaned against the doors outside the Council Room, her eyes closed as a familiar melody began playing inside her head.

" _I believe that one day, Opal, you will fall in love." Lorelei Stone whispered, pressing a kiss to her temple. "Don't let it fade away because of who you become._ "   
  
"Are you alright, Opal?"   
  
Her eyes flashed open as she met Obi-Wans concerned gaze. _Always so concerned for me, you magnificent man._ "I'm fine, Kenobi." She mused, lightly nudging him as they followed Qui Gon into the Council Room. "Please hold me back if I lash out."   
  
"I promised I'd help you recover from the hatred you feel." He replied. "I don't intend to break that promise." 

"The Force is strong in this one." Opal leaned against Obi-Wan, her eyes unwavering from the men who continued to speak of Anakin's training.   
  
"He is to be trained then?"   
  
Her heart sank as her former Master shook his head firmly. "No. He is too old." All of those reaffirmations to Anakin, telling him everything was going to be okay, every single thing she had said just felt like a _lie._ Everything around her began to fade as Qui Gon continued talking directly to Yoda and Master Windu. Tears blurred her vision as she struggled to focus on Master Plo, but found black spots dancing across her eyes as her chest began to constrict. _Breathe Opal. Breathe._ He whispered across their Bond.  
  
Had Obi-Wan not actually grabbed her hand to calm her down, she would've never heard the words leave Qui Gon's lips. "I will train him then."   
  
"A Padawan you already have, Qui Gon. You can not take another." Qui Gon turned his head towards the two Jedi Apprentice as they stepped forward.   
  
"Obi-Wan is ready for the Trials. You know that first hand that Opal Stone is as well, Master Plo. She may be my family, but I have no immediate influence on her. Surely you must understand this."   
  
Opal forced a small smile as she walked towards her Master, the only father figure she had known throughout most of her teenage years. His eyes met hers as she knelt down and bowed her head. "Master, you said yourself that I was ready for the Trials. That is why you sent me to my Uncle to confirm that your thoughts were true." Obi Wan's eyes softened as she turned to glance at him. "And I will be forever grateful that you did."   
  
"He is head strong, and he has much to learn of the living Force, but he is capable. As for Opal, I believe the same goes for her. Both of them work extremely well together and have been friends since they started training years ago. They are ready."   
  
Mace Windu gave a small nod and leaned forward on his knees. "Now is not the time for this. The Senate is voting for a vote of new leadership, and Queen Amidala is returning home. That will put pressure on the Trade Federation and could lighten the confrontation. I want all three of you to go with the Queen to Naboo and find her attacker. This could be the clue that will unravel the mystery of the Sith."   
  
Opal turned from the Council for the first time and felt no rage for the men in that room as they exited the Temple speaking in hushed tones. Obi Wan turned his head, pressing a hand against his chest to calm his erratic heartbeats from staring at the woman beside him. His eyes flickered from her long black lashes brushing against the bottom of her stunning brown eyes, which were filled with the need to run away from her problems. Her delicate cheek bones only accented the paleness of her skin, her blonde locks gleaming in the sunlight from the windows around them. Just looking at her made him feel a barrage of feelings he was unfamiliar with. "You ready to be magnificent, Harmony?"   
  
"When did you start calling me that?"   
  
"When I noticed it was as beautiful of a name as you are a person." She hid her face in her hands and shook her head, desperately trying to ignore the butterflies in her stomach. _Flatterer._  
  
"As long as I've got you by my side, I could take down the world with just a snap of my fingers."


	6. Chapter Four:

"That boy could be a good thing for you, Obi-Wan." Opal called out as she leaned her weight against the hangar railing. "If you could stop being so condescending all the time, I would really appreciate it." 

Obi-Wan could not help the overwhelming feel of butterflies fluttering low in his stomach or the slickness of his palms when he looked at Opal, who had become so much more _beautiful_ since they had met. His mind replayed the words that Qui Gon had uttered earlier that day when they'd been discussing his feelings towards the younger woman. "I just feel that the boy is dangerous, Opal." He replied. "You are just like your uncle, headstrong and stubborn. You might have a bigger influence on the boy then you realize." 

She snorted indignantly and smacked his arm, which only caused his grin to widen. "You can't tell me that you hate me and my _glorious_ personality." She retorted. "It might just save your life someday."   
  
****  
  
The three Jedi followed closely behind Padme and Captain Panaka, who had revealed her true identity as the Queen of Naboo when they had confronted the Gungans for an alliance earlier that morning. Opal rested her hand on the hilt of her lightsaber, her body hunched against the brick wall as Obi Wan followed closely behind her.   
  
Gunshots rang out through the courtyard as they fought their way through the mass of droids, lightsabers exploding in multiple beams of light. Obi Wan whipped around as a droid nearly took out Opal, but not before she could spin back around and sever its head off of its body. " _Did you see that?!_ " She shrieked, grinning at her friend as they continued fighting.   
  
"Try not to have me save your life multiple times, Opal Stone!"   
  
Her heart nearly stopped when their group halted in front of two large doors which opened to reveal a man clothed in black, wielding a deadly lightsaber in his hands. _This enemy will bring only death to you._ "Obi-Wan-" She faltered, her lightsaber coming to life as she struggled to be strong in front of their enemy.   
  
"Stay behind me Opal."   
  
And so she did, quickly pushing Queen Amidala and Captain Panaka's group out of the way as Obi Wan and her Uncle fought with the Sith Lord. _Death. Only death._ His beady eyes bore into hers as she followed Obi Wan and Qui Gon through the doors, gripping the hilt of her lightsaber.   
  
_"Always be brave, Opal Harmony Stone._ "   
  
She thought back to one of the very first tricks she'd learned when Mace Windu had discovered that she had a midichlorian count just beneath Yoda's. Closing her eyes, she continued following the fight as her mind cleared, and she felt the Force surge around her. _Use your hands, Opal. Let the Force guide you._ Her eyes flashed open as her hand clenched, and she could just barely see Darth Maul's lightsaber begin to flicker.   
  
A scream built up inside her throat as Obi Wan fell at least 20 feet, and Darth Maul's eyes instantly flickered over to her. She lunged forward, a growl deep in her throat as the Sith Lord lost focus and she threw him backwards with the weight of the Force.   
  
Obi-Wan watched with fear in his eyes as Opal vaulted over her uncle, and the two of them ran through the hall only to be stopped by multiple sets of shield doors. The Padawan froze as she grabbed his hand, sheathing her lightsaber. She could feel that death was coming much closer then she realized, and if it was Obi Wan, she wasn't about to let him go.   
  
Not when she had just gotten him back.   
  
He turned towards her and found himself pressing a kiss to her forehead. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips lingered against her skin. "Don't do that again." He breathed. "I just got you back. I'm not about to lose someone-" Before he could continue, they were both running through the shield doors until the last one flickered to life as Qui Gon ran through it. "Else."   
  
Her eyes widened as the Sith pulled his arm back and allowed his lightsaber to plunge into her Uncle's chest, ultimately wounding him to the point that death was inevitable. Everything slowed around her as he let out a barely audible grunt, his lips whispering her name. Tears burned her eyes as Obi-Wan's heart fell and he screamed out in horror. " _NO!"_  
  
She allowed him to take on the Sith himself as she tossed her lightsaber to the side, allowing tears to fall from her eyes as she pulled his limp body into her arms. "Stay alive," She cried out, gently slapping his cheeks. Her heart sank when she noticed the amount of blood that was staining his Jedi robes. "You can't leave me yet, Qui-Gon Jinn. Not when I still need you. Please, just stay _alive._ "  
  
Qui Gon smiled up at his niece as she cupped his face, her forehead resting against his own as she cried against his skin. "Opal, promise me." He whispered, his finger running over the tear stains left on her skin. "If you fall in love with Obi-Wan, do notlet him go."   
  
Her head bobbed up and down as she nodded quickly. "I promise."   
  
Despite the anger and grief that had settled into her heart, she held her uncle against her body and watched the fight ensue between the man who had ultimately become the greatest gift she could ever receive, and the Sith Lord. Her heart nearly stopped as Obi Wan plummeted over the edge, just barely gripping the edge of the chasm.   
  
_When I say go, force throw me the lightsaber. Got it?_  
  
A smirk crossed her face as she nodded, her eyes falling upon her Uncle's lightsaber just a few feet away from her.  
  
 _Got it._  
  
Darth Maul paid her no attention as he circled the chasm, waiting to end the Jedi once and for all. _Now._ She tossed the lightsaber in the air, grinning as Obi Wan caught it with ease and sliced the Sith in half, severing his body completely. "O-Obi Wan-"   
  
Her friend ran up behind her, wrapping his arms around her body as she held Qui Gon against hers. "Obi Wan, promise me you will train the boy." Qui Gon's eyes slowly shifted over to his niece who was crying hysterically into Obi Wan's shoulder. "Along with Opal. I want you both to train Anakin."   
  
"I promise, Master." They replied in unison.   
  
The second Qui Gons eyes closed, Opal let out a sound between a curse and a grieving scream as she fell against Obi-Wan's body. He wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against her robes as they sobbed together over the loss of a great friend. "Will you help me train Anakin, Opal?'' He sniffled, forcing a watery smile as she wiped the tears from his eyes.  
  
Opal smiled back and nodded weakly, unwilling to let go of him. "I made a promise," She whispered. "I'm not going anywhere, Obi-Wan Kenobi. I don't plan on leaving you alone again."   
  
***  
  
Obi-Wan and Opal knelt down in front of Yoda inside the Jedi Council room, their heads bowed. "Grant you both the position of Jedi Knight," Yoda spoke. "The Council does. Training Skywalker, however, we do not."   
  
"Master Yoda," Opal spoke, raising her chin to look into the eyes of her other Master. "Under different circumstances both Obi-Wan and I would obey your orders, but we gave Qui-Gon our word."   
  
The older Jedi sighed deeply and continued pacing the room. "Qui Gons stubbornness, I sense in both of you. Take the boy as your apprentice, but I sense much danger in his training."   
  
Obi-Wan grabbed Opals hand and smiled at Yoda before the two of them left the room. "Obi Wan, I'm going to need to go to the apartment within the month. I can't keep putting it off any longer." That apartment where she had spent her entire life was the one place she kept refusing to go to because of all the demons and ghosts that lurked in the furniture. All reminders of her old life that she never fulfilled.  
  
Obi Wans pale blue eyes widened. "Your old apartment? Are you serious?" He rested a hand on her shoulder as she nodded reluctantly. "Do you want me to go with you?"   
  
"I think I need to go." She murmured. "After we begin training Anakin. My father told me years ago there was stuff in the apartment I would have to face someday." She forced a smile and stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to Obi Wan's cheek, her hand cupping it.   
  
The two of them remained frozen for a number of minutes, unsure of what to do next. It was clear he cared a great deal her but the Jedi Code made love forbidden. When she tilted her head to look at the anxiety that flooded his face, she found herself lightly squeezing his hand. "C'mon. Qui Gons cremation should be going on soon."


	7. Chapter Five:

**The Phantom Menace**

Opal hid in the shadows of Qui Gon's cremation, the firelight flickering in her amber colored eyes as she hid beneath the hood of her Jedi robe. A unspeakable heaviness settled in her heart as she watched the remains of her Uncle, her last living family, waste away into ashes. "Master?" Anakin's voice spoke as he tugged on her robes. "Why are you sad?" 

The poor boy had been ridiculed and pulled apart at the seams since leaving Tatooine and her heart ached for him because she had been through the same thing. "I lost the last person who cared about me, Anakin." She murmured softly, kneeling down in front of her padawan. "Qui-Gon was my Uncle, and he's the only family I had left who loved me." 

Anakin tilted his head, his eyes flickering to Obi Wan's stiff form standing beside her. "What about Master Obi-Wan?" He whispered in reply. "Doesn't he love you? I don't think you're just his friend." 

Leave it to the child to be the one who noticed as much as she did. "I ask myself that question all the time, Ani. But I don't know because I don't think Obi-Wan wants me to know." She paused for a moment, inhaling deeply as a new wave of tears came upon her. "I don't think he loves me like you think he does." 

The child wrapped his arms around her neck, burying his face in the fabric of her robes. "I think he does, but he's very afraid." Her heart stuttered as she raked her fingers through his hair. "I think he's afraid to lose you." 

She had never thought about what ran through Obi Wan's head when it came to her. Did he actually care about her? She knew there was _something_ there, hidden deep in the crystal pools he called eyes that seemed to be engraved in her memory forever. She'd noticed a protective side to her friend since they'd reunited. 

_I think he's afraid to lose you._

She was terrified of losing one of the two people she had left in this Universe.

"Opal," His deep baritone murmured as he turned to her. "Are you going back to Coruscant after the funeral?" She quirked an eyebrow, turning her body away from the flames to look at him directly. 

"Why on Earth would I leave you again?" 

His tongue flicked out to lick at his chapped lips, his eyes avoiding hers. "Everyone does," He replied. She lifted his chin with her index finger and smiled that same smile that made his heart melt every time he saw it. "It's bound to happen again. I just don't want it to be you." 

Her head spun as she relived her Uncle's death, the last words he had spoken to her directly about the impending relationship to come between the two of them. " _If you love him, do **not** let him go._" 

"Obi Wan, I made you a promise that I was going to help train Anakin. I don't plan on breaking that promise. Not when you're just having to put up with me again after so long of being apart." A smile broke across his face as they both turned to a very curious Anakin. 

"What will happen to me now?" He said quietly, his voice laced with fear. 

"The Council has granted us both permission to train you." Obi-Wan replied. "You will be a Jedi, Anakin. I promise." 

***  
( **This is the part of the story that will begin to go off my own plot and not Episode 2: Attack of the Clones.** ) 

_"If you love Obi-Wan, do **not** let him go._" 

Opal grunted beneath the force of her lightsaber, squinting through the sparks to see Obi Wan flashing that infamous smirk in her direction. It had been nearly a year since she'd lost Qui Gon and her best friend had been much more upfront, and much more _flirty_ since. "You're out of it, Opal." He retorted. "Focus on the sound of my-" 

She snickered underneath her breath as a scream left his lips, and he flew across the room and right into the training mats. "Your voice is pretty enough, Obi-Wan, that it's hard to _not_ focus on it."

"Are you ever not sarcastic?" He groaned, a moan escaping his lips as he outstretched his muscular body against the mats he was laying on. Over the course of the past year, he had begun growing out his hair and his beard to the point where it was becoming difficult to not stare at him. "Are you leaving now?"   
  
"I have to go get the cake for Anakin." She replied, flipping her head upwards and wiping away the sheen of sweat that had gathered on her forehead. On a normal day like today, she took an hour to train with Anakin and Obi Wan took another, then the three of them had dinner together and retreated to their quarters. Today, however, was Anakin's 11th birthday and she planned on making it a good one despite the lack of his mothers presence in his life. "You can't get out of this one, Obi-Wan. That boy needs a good birthday, and he already feels terrible because he's not with Shmi."   
  
"You have a heart unlike anyone I've ever met." He replied. "Go on then. I'll retrieve the boy."   
  
It was a heat of the moment type of decision, choosing to openly kiss Obi Wan's cheek before fleeing from the room. He stood, frozen in place, unable to tear his fingers away from the skin that was now searing underneath the ghost of her touch. He was more then aware of what the Jedi Code was, and every day he continued training Anakin alongside Opal made him more willing to break that Code of never having attachments. The woman in his life was slowly changing him, breaking apart his stoic facade and teaching to love in a much deeper way then he had ever known.   
  
Upon fleeing the room, Opal nearly crashed into Anakin when she returned to the Jedi Temple with his birthday dessert in her hands. "Master Stone!" He cried out gleefully. Opal beamed as Anakin came rushing towards her, his braid bouncing against the side of his neck as he ran. "The Council was requesting to see you, so they sent me to find you." He tilted his head curiously as he eyed the box. "What's that?"   
  
"It's a secret, sweet Ani." She chided, turning the boy in the direction of the quarters where she knew Obi-Wan would be waiting for him. "Go to our joint quarters and find Master Kenobi. I will join you momentarily." Anakin took the box from her hands and took off down the hall, leaving Opal with her thoughts.

The Jedi Council was common knowledge to her now. Their corruption was ignored by most of the Order, including Obi Wan, but she had never made an issue of how they'd wronged her to anyone else _except_ those who sat on it. Most of them despised her despite being one of the most accomplished Jedi in decades. The main reason why she'd gone into the Order - aside from honoring her parents memory - was because of Obi Wan and Anakin. 

Opal _adored_ training Anakin.  
  
Hope soared through her with each day she watched his training progress and his skills sharpen. That was... when he actually had the concentration to practice them. "Master Stone." Opal winced at the name as she entered the Council Chambers, their gazes upon her as she bowed in greeting. "We have a request for you." 

It was hard to not be cynical. "Wow, that's a first." Opal retorted. "Normally you ask Obi Wan to answer your beck and call because of how much I am disliked. What could be so important to summon _me?_ "  
  
Mace Windu shook his head, clearly disappointed in her approach as he motioned to Master Yoda. The ancient one and leader of the Jedi Order was clutching a hard drive that looked to belong to the Jedi Archives deeper in the Temple. "One of our Jedi Knights found a drive inside of the Archives containing information about the mission that killed your parents." Her heart dropped as she looked at the drive labeled **_Stone._** "Do you wish to see its contents before it is destroyed?" 

Opal pressed her lips together as she contemplated her choices. It had taken her years to _forgive_ The Council for allowing the murder to slip past their open eyes and ears. Why would they bring this up _now?_ Years after it had happened? "Is this a trick, Master?" She snarled, hands clenching into fists at her side "It took me _years_ to even walk into this room without some semblance of rage because you all let it slide in the first place!"   
  
She inhaled sharply as a memory resurface behind her eyes. It was one of her first nights alone with Obi-Wan, one of the many where he'd focused on her self healing. It was so precious, so pure.. She'd never forget it.

" _Opal, my dear." He whispered, leaning forward to grasp her hands in his own. "Despite all you have been through, you must be willing to let the walls around your heart fall. Allow people in. Allow me in, and you'll begin learning how to feel things again."_

Opal took a deep breath and uneasily stood to her feet, oblivious to the words that were about to come from Yoda. "Hardness there was in your heart." He said. '"Gone now, is it?" 

"I have been very fortunate to be working with Master Kenobi." She replied. "He has assisted in leading me away from the darkness that called in the midst of Qui Gons passing." Her eyes softened, a years worth of memories flashing behind them as she recalled the events f the last year. "He has, in turn, saved me from myself. We have been training young Skywalker for quite some time... and being his Master has made me a better person." She suppressed a wince as she felt all pairs of scrutinizing eyes settle on her. ''Obi Wan is a great man, and a great teacher. He is a dear friend."   
  
Mace Windu stroked his chin as she met his gaze. Of all the people Opal had come across, he was always one of the ones who read her best. "We are proud of your progress, Master Stone. The way you work with Master Kenobi is spectacular. Keep it up.” He turned to Yoda. “We will speak of the drive later.” Bowing low once again, Opal feigned a warm smile before she turned and disappeared from the Council Chambers.

Opal was oblivious to the passing Jedi as she sprinted down the hall towards the dormitories, skidding to a stop in front of the one she shared with Anakin and Obi Wan. She wiped the sweat from her face and entered the darkened room. Obi Wan was hunched over the table speaking in hushed tones to their padawan who was alert and attentive. "Ah, there she is." He greeted. Obi stood and took her hand, motioning to the cylindrical gift wrapped in silver paper sitting on the counter. "He's already had 2 slices of cake. I don't think he can get much more hyper then he already is."   
  
Opal flinched as Anakin popped up beside her, licking at the sugar speckled on his lips. "Can I open my gift?" He exclaimed, eyes bright with adrenaline as sugar coursed through his blood.   
  
A melodic laugh burst past Opals lips as she nodded, leaning against Obi Wan as the child tore into the gift. His jaw dropped from shock as the lightsaber in his hands sparked to life in a mirage of royal blue sparks. ''I think it's high time you had a real, hand crafted lightsaber."   
  
"You _made_ this?" He deadpanned, eyes narrowing in on the engraving on the side of the weapon.   
  
_To: Anakin Skywalker_  
 _From: Obi Wan and Opal_  
  
"Do not lose yourself to the darkness. Remain in the light, and a future beyond belief, you will have."


	8. Chapter Six:

[ **2019: I was in the midst of editing this, and my computer deleted the entire chapter. Thankfully I managed to access the original writing on my phone, so here's the same content but written in a much, much better way.** ] 

Blood. Screams. The glare of a red lightsaber, and then nothing but the dark. 

Opal shot up at the waist, fingers twisted into the gold silk sheets of her bed as she attempted to control her labored breathing. Her body trembled so hard that she felt it raging in her temples like the pierce of an incoming headache, but no matter what she tried, the memories of her parents murder would not disappear. Overwhelmed by her fear, Opal found herself calling out the first name that came to mind. "O-Obi-Wan!" 

Obi-Wan rushed out of his chambers at the desperate cry of her name. He'd neglected to put on appropriate attire before coming in to meet her, which left him in nothing but loose hanging sweatpants that clung to the V of his hips. His brow furrowed in concern at the petrified woman on the bed. "Opal?" He asked. "What's wrong?" 

"Nothing," She deflected. It was natural, given that he was what she had been deprived of her entire life. Security, safety.. home. "It was just a nightmare. A bad one." 

Obi-Wan shook his head. "If it was nothing, you wouldn't have called my name. The Jedi Code doesn't matter right now." He threw back the blanket and crawled into the empty space in her bed, wrapping an arm around her waist before settling into the mattress. Obi knew he shouldn't have been doing this. Getting into bed with her meant succumbing to his attachments, to his feelings for her, and once he acknowledged those.. He'd be too far gone. 

To distract himself, he pulled her into the curve of his body and hid his face in her hair. 

"Opal-" 

Opal turned herself around so they were eye to eye. It didn't go unnoticed how he trembled when she lifted her hand to trace the features of his face, or the way he shuddered when her fingers came in contact with his lips. It was too sensational, too _close -_ "When I say you're beautiful, I really do mean it." She whispered. "You're magnificent. Let me show you." Opal cupped his face in her hands, ignoring the burn of his beard as she leaned in just close enough to fan her breath across his face. "Don't speak. Just _breathe."_

Obi-Wan inhaled deeply through his nose as she leaned forward and slanted her mouth against his in what was the softest embrace he'd ever experienced in his life. His brain was screaming at him to stop all of this, to get out of this bed and leave her to her demons and to _not_ fall in love with her any more then he already had. His heart, however, was joyously cheering at his accomplishment of finally succumbing to his hearts desire. 

Opal pulled away just as Obi-Wan had begun to reciprocate the kiss but was stopped by his strong grasp on her hips that reigned her back in. 

Her head spun as his hands began to wander underneath her shirt, tracing circles on her stomach as he became intimately familiar with her mouth. Obi-Wan kissed the same way he did everything else. Soft, passionate, warm, _alive._ A pleased hum rumbled in the back of her throat as he pulled away and began leaving warm kisses on the column of her neck, brushing her hair onto her pillow for better access. "I can't tell you-" He murmured between kisses before Opal dragged his face back up so they were eye to eye. "How long I've wanted us to do that." 

"You could've made a move first, y'know." She replied coyly, grinning as she leaned forward to nuzzle her nose with his. Opal ran her fingers through his hair as Obi buried his face in her neck, clearly embarrassed by the lack of initiative, just before he eased himself back into sleep. Her fingers carded through his hair, over and over again, until his breathing was deep and even. "I can't tell you how long I've been in love with you, wonderful man." 

***

Over the course of the following years, Anakin Skywalker grew. 

With his growth came the maturity and the keen eyes that very clearly sensed the budding relationship between his two Masters, both of which seemed to openly ignore their feelings for the other. He could see the adoration, the pure _joy_ she took from being around him and Obi-Wan. 

One afternoon when he decided to approach Opal, she was out on the balcony of their quarters watching the sun peek over the horizon. The lavenders and blues reflected in the depths of her eyes, eyes so old that belonged to a woman so _young._ "Master Stone?" He asked. She turned around at the call of her name and winked at him as he approached her. "May I have a minute of your time?" 

"Anakin, you've been taking _all_ my time since you were a child. And stop calling me Master, it makes me feel much older then I am." She chided. He walked past her and leaned against the railing, his back to the horizon as he studied her peaceful expression. Over the years they'd been together, Opal Stone had aged with grace far better than anyone else he knew. "You're clearly troubled. What's wrong?" 

"Can I ask you something?" 

"You can ask me anything." She replied. "You know that." 

Anakin tugged on the end of his braid like he often did when he was nervous. It was a nervous habit she'd seen Obi-Wan do many times when he was the apprentice to her uncle so long ago. 

"Why do you hide?" 

_That_ caught her off guard. "Um.." She began. "I'm sorry, I don't follow. Hide from what?" 

"Your true feelings for Master Obi-Wan." Opal winced at his bluntness, her mind flashing back to that night they'd kissed in the safety of her bed without another soul around. They hadn't talked about it once since. Opal and Obi Wan valued each other deeply, but there had never been a conversation about love. Not one time. "You two are constantly telling me that I need to be mindful of the Jedi Code because of my feelings for Padme, but yet here you sit. Have you ever denied yourself loving someone?" 

She tilted her head and quirked her eyebrow at the younger man. "Who said I was in love with him, Ani?" Opal replied. "I never said I was." 

Anakin snickered and turned away. "I've been under your teaching since I was a child, Opal." He said. "It is not hard to see that he adores you." She felt the color leave her cheeks as tears filled her eyes. He was right. He was _right._ And all this time, Anakin _knew._

 _"_ Oh, Anakin-" 

Obi Wan reentered their quarters as Opal pulled Anakin into her embrace, burying her face in the crook of his shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her waist. A pang of jealousy filled his body as he watched Opal relax in his padawans embrace. The act was simple enough, but after spending the last several years pushing her away to focus on training Anakin, in the end it just made them both suffer. "Anakin, they want you in the training room." The sound of his voice brought them both apart. "It's time for a practice trial, so I suggest you hop to it." 

The Padawan beamed as he fled the room, leaving the two of them alone. Obi Wan took a deep breath and began walking towards her only for Opal to walk backwards instead. "Opal-" 

"Don't you _Opal_ me, Obi-Wan Kenobi!" She hissed, eyes bright with anger and nostrils flared. "Why would you go to all the trouble to make me feel something, and then push me away the longer Anakin is taught by us? The older he gets?" He took a tentative step forward, his eyes never leaving hers. "I spent all those years apart from you before Naboo trying to _forget_ who you were. You didn't leave my mind because I couldn't stop thinking about you! That kiss we shared? You've acted like it never happened! The Jedi Code is ridiculous because The Council is nothing but dictators and hypocrites, they don't get to dictate how I-"

She didn't fight him when he extended his hand and intertwined their fingers together as he backed her into the wall opposite the balcony. "They can't what, Opal?" He whispered, his lips hovering over her own. Opal lifted her eyes defiantly, and it took all of her willpower to not drown in the depths of the blues staring back at her. 

"They can't tell me how I feel, or choose who I care about." 

Obi-Wan tilted her chin upward and kissed her, his head spinning with the rekindled emotion he held for the woman nestled in the cage of his arms. "I'm so sorry," He breathed, pulling apart and laying reverent kisses along the curve of her jaw. "I can't tell you how _angry_ it makes me-" 

"The Council doesn't have to know about us, Obi Wan." Opal replied as she rested her head against his chest and sighed as his fingers carded through her hair. 

"Are you willing to live through that secret though?" He asked, taking her hand and leading her towards the door of their quarters. "It doesn't seem like something you'd be willing to do." 

Opal snorted softly and shook her head. "I'd rather die at Yoda's hand then not have the chance to be with you, if you'll have me. Are _you_ okay with it? I know you've dedicated your life to the Order and its teachings, how loyal you are as a Jedi. I don't want you to ruin it for me." 

Obi-Wan knew he was unworthy of a woman like her, but he was tired of having spent so many years pushing her away. Tired of ignoring the call of his heart, tired of ignoring his desire, tired of ignoring _her._ He didn't care what The Council thought of his relationship or who he chose to be with. "I'm more then okay with it." He retorted. "I am _magnificent._ "


	9. Chapter Seven:

_You are nothing but the whispers of the past, my love. A ghost lingering in my mind to remind me of what I've lost._

Nearly a week later, Opal was staring at the door that led into her parents apartment high above Coruscant, Anakin trailing aimlessly along the balcony as he stared in awe at the pits below. She had put off doing this for years because of the memories that lurked inside, and of all people, she'd brought her _Padawan_ because Obi Wan was busy at the Temple. "I should've just waited for Obi-Wan." She muttered, inhaling deeply as she turned to Anakin. "Are you coming, Skywalker?"   
  
He nodded and stuck close to her, his hand lingering on his saber as she entered the vacant apartment. "How long has it been since you've been in here, Opal?" He asked, his blue eyes flickering around the large living room to take in his surroundings.   
  
"I was 11.” She replied. “Master Yoda had brought me back to collect some of my things. It's been far too long." Opal ran her fingers over the sofa she had curled up on with her parents, how she had cherished the sound of their voices and the warmth their bodies radiated as she fell into sleep at such a young age. "I can feel all the ghosts that lurk here. That's why I've been so afraid to come back."   
  
"I'm not going to let anything hurt you." He whispered. Her heart pounded anxiously as Anakin followed her throughout each room until they reached a silver door in the back hallway marked _Confidential._ "What's that?"   
  
Opal froze in her place, hands trembling as she unfastened the chain around her neck that held two keys. One for the front door, and one for the closet in front of her. "That's the closet I wasn't allowed to enter as a child."   
  
"Are you sure you want to see what's inside?"   
  
Opal nodded and fit the key into the lock, her heart pounding so hard she was sure it was going to crack her sternum. The closet door creaked open until all she saw was a small chest. As for what was in it.. she didn’t want to know. “Anakin,” She faltered. “I-“  
  
Anakin lifted his saber and slashed through the middle of the box, giving her the ability to pull out whatever was inside. Opal peered inside the hugest and nearly vomited when she saw the paper and the lightsaber it was attached to.   
_Dear God, please no._  
  
She tried not to cry in front of her Padawan, but it was impossible to halt the tears that ran down her cheeks as she activated the lightsaber and the room lit up in a mirage of red. She dropped it almost as quickly as she picked it up, backing away from the weapon. "My entire life is a lie." She cried, collapsing on the floor as her fingers struggled to pick up the note in front of her. "I-I can't _do this-_ "   
  
Anakin knelt in front of her, kneeling as he opened the note and began to read what was written.  


“ **My dearest Opal, my precious gift.** **If you're reading this, then we've been discovered and are most likely dead. The reason why we never wanted you to enter this closet was because that was where your father stored his lightsabers, both his green and his red one. He turned to darkness. How, I do not know. Why, I do not know. But he continued the facade of being on the Council to keep you safe. We love you, Opal, and we only want what is best for you. Despite your anguish, despite your grief.. do not allow this to make you stumble. You are stronger then the ghosts that run inside your head. Always fight for who you love.”**

Anakin swallowed and tucked the note into his robes, sheathing the red lightsaber and studying the hilt closely. The weapon intrigued more then he cared to admit.   
  
Opal gripped his robes for stability as she stood to her feet. She drew her hands across the back of her cheeks. “I need to go back to the Temple and tell the Council what happened. Then I'm going to have Obi-Wan come back with me to clean this place out." She looked around the room, her eyes darker then he'd ever seen them. "Time to unveil the lie once and for all."   
  
"But why would you care, Opal!? They weren't good people! Your entire childhood was based on a lie!”  
  
Anakin stumbled backwards as she whipped around and smacked him so hard in the mouth that his head flew to one side. "My parents made me who I am, Anakin Skywalker." She snarled. "And I'll be damned if my padawan tells me they weren't good people because they were deceived. I'm going back to the Temple. You can stay here and unearth my past, or you can come back with me and train. Your choice."   
  
He had never been more afraid of her then in that moment, where the broken woman behind the mask was revealed and finally came undone.  
  
****  
  
Opal was more and more afraid to continue training Anakin with the days that followed after that. She couldn't bring herself to apologize for what she did because what he'd said was _cruel_ , but every time she saw that sadness lurking in his blue orbs when he looked at her, it only made her heart ache.   
  
The only thing keeping her sane was Obi-Wan, who was proving to be a godsend the longer they were together. The next day when she returned to their quarters inside the Temple, she took to the shadows when she realized Obi Wan was talking to Anakin. "And she just.. hit you?"   
  
Anakin rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and nodded. His expression read embarrassment. "I felt awful when I left, Master, but I had never seen her so angry before and I was truly afraid." He said. Obi Wan inhaled deeply and ran a hand through his hair, his head slowly turning to where she was hiding behind the pillar. "You look distressed. What's wrong?"   
  
Opal knew he could feel her presence through the Force. Despite knowing that, she was surprised Obi didn’t tell Anakin about it. "She is breaking, Anakin.” He admitted, resting his hands against his hips as he looked Anakin in the eye. "And it is my job to put her back together before darkness overcomes her. She holds much anger towards the Council for her parents murders, and she must let go of the past before it consumes her."   
  
Opal pressed her hand against her mouth, her back sliding down the pillar as she listened to Anakins retreating footsteps. She nearly screamed when she felt Obi Wan kneel in front of her and remove her hands from her mouth. "I- _I am a monster._ '' She sobbed, thrashing as he tried to pull her into his arms. "How do I go back in there and face him after I hit him? He's the only family I have beside you, and he deserves so much better than me..."   
  
"Opal, you are far from a monster.” He said firmly. “A monster is what people become when they are overcome with hate." Her eyes widened as Obi Wan ran his thumb over her lips, her eyes never leaving his own. "Anakin told me what happened. None of that is on you. He feels awful for saying what he did."   
  
"Obi-Wan, I _slapped_ that poor boy-"   
  
He shook his head and helped her to her feet, pressing a finger to his lips as he drew her to a secluded alley behind the Temple where no Jedi ever went. Opal sighed as they squeezed into the narrow space, close enough that their chests were pressed together. "And you had every reason to do so. You have got to stop acting like you're okay when you aren't, Opal. Let me help you get through this." Her heart fluttered as he cupped her face in his hands and brushed the gentlest of kisses against her lips. " _Together, or not at all._ "   
  
And that was exactly what he did that night.   
  
Opal drew her dressing gown from her dresser, slipping it over her body and pulling her Jedi robe overtop of it. Pulling her blonde hair into a ponytail, she entered the living room and found Obi Wan in front of the fire place, two candles lit on the table accompanied by two glasses of wine. "Now this is what I call a first date." She mused, resting her body against his chest as he enveloped her in his arms. "I've always wanted to do this."   
  
He rested a hand on her thigh as she sipped her wine, the firelight flickering in her eyes. "I've been waiting months to be able to do this with no distractions." He murmured. "Opal, I want you to tell me what's running through your head. Why you can't seem to sleep through the night, why guilt plagues you every waking moment that your eyes are open. Tell me how to rid you of your demons."   
  
She froze, remembering having slapped Anakin after finding out her father had been drawn to the Dark Side. Opal turned to the man who held her close, setting her glass on the stone that surrounded the fire place. She then started talking. Words of nights filled with guilt and remorse left her lips as she told the story of her induction into the Jedi Order, her parents mission, and how Obi Wan had made her feel having been her first friend when they began training together.   
  
"You were and still are the most selfless person I ever met." She confessed, tracing circles against the weathering skin of his hand which fit so perfectly in hers. "You have a heart for children unlike any man I've ever met, and no matter how much people betray or hurt you, you never give up on them. I wish I was like that."   
  
She spoke of her life after the two of them had parted, being trained by Master Windu inside the Jedi Temple. How her mind never faltered on thinking about what was inside that closet in her parents apartment. How reuniting with Qui Gon had made her have a purpose again, and seeing Obi-Wan, so innocent and gorgeous, had filled her heart to the brim with a happiness she hadn't received since the days her parents were alive.   
  
They spoke until early dawn, the hues of orange and pink swirling against the walls as she curled up in his arms, her head resting against his chest since they had moved to the couch. After speaking to each other about their pasts for so long, she felt a sense of peace. "Why did you take Anakin to the apartment?" He said softly, his voice laced with sleep.   
  
Her heart pounded against her chest as Opal rested her hand overtop of his own heart. "I was looking for closure." She replied. "I found out a dangerous family secret that I don't know if I should tell the Council about or not. My father played out a facade as a Jedi on the Council to cover up the work he was doing with the Sith."   
  
That seemed to draw him out of his dozed off sleep. "Your father was a Sith? You're joking right? How on Earth would The Council not sense that?"  
  
"Evidently he played off as a Jedi to keep me safe. Parker knew where my loyalties would lie as I got older and he didn't want me to not do what I loved. Dedicate my life to the people who need protecting." She lifted her head and lightly ran a finger over his stubble that was growing to be thick, blondish red hair that occupied the curve of his jaw. She absolutely loved running her fingers through the hair on his face. "Should I tell the Council?"   
  
"We'll tell them together. I think it's vital that they know, because if what I was told is correct, there is a good possibility that your father could still be alive, given the circumstances of the mission." Obi Wan smiled that adorable lopsided smile before yawning. "Goodnight, Opal Stone."   
  
She yawned in unison with him, resting her head on his chest as his arms circled her. "Sleep well, Obi-Wan Kenobi."


	10. Chapter Eight: Attack of the Clones

When Anakin awoke that next morning, he pulled on his robes and brushed his hair before tiptoeing into the living room of their joint quarters his Masters often occupied together. His baby blue eyes widened when he saw Opal and Obi-Wan on the sofa, Opal curled up against Obi Wan as they slept peacefully. The table was littered in plates with scraps of food left on them and a half empty bottle of wine.   
  
He couldn't believe that they wouldn't confess their love for each other. After witnessing it for himself all these years later, he knewhow Obi-Wan felt about Opal. They were so dedicated to the Jedi Order that they refused to admit it to each other. It was truly devastating to see them so close but so far apart. "Uh, Masters?"   
  
Opal nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of his voice, but managed to slowly stir on top of Obi Wan as her eyes adjusted to the light pouring into their quarters. Anakin was kneeling in front of them with a devious grin on his face. "Good morning Anakin," She murmured, yawning as she twisted her body to get out of Obi-Wans strong grasps. "It's awfully early."   
  
Anakin snorted under his breath as his eyes flitted over to the holo above the fireplace. "It's nearly noon." He replied, tilting his head as she stood and ran a hand through her hair. "You look like you've been up all night." Opal nodded and knelt down beside Obi-Wan, running her fingers through his hair and pressing a kiss to his temple lightly. "Aren't you going to wake him up?"   
  
"He needs his sleep. We were up all night talking." She turned towards him and forced a smile. "Look, I'm sorry for slapping you the other day. My parents really were good people-"   
  
"No, please don't apologize." He interjected. "It was my fault entirely. I was out of line, and it won't happen again."   
  
"I love you like my brother, you idiot.'' Opal retorted, grinning as she vanished into her room to change into clean robes. "You know I would never wish harm on you." Her eyes became glossy as she drew the lightsaber he'd discovered yesterday from her dresser and clipped it to her belt. "Now, if you're still here when he wakes up, tell him I went to speak to the Council. I should do it alone.”  
  
"Hey Opal." He called out. She turned to him with a curious expression and smiled widely from ear to ear. "I love you too." It was true. She was the closest thing he ever had to a sister in the years together, and he loved her with a different love then what he felt for Padme.   
  
The Jedi Council Chamber was vacant when she arrived, other then Master Yoda who seemed to be meditating on a certain conflict that had arisen. "I'm sorry Master," She blurted out, oblivious to her former Master Windu entering the room behind her. "I didn't mean to disturb you."   
  
Yoda shook his head and opened his eyes, raising his head to look at the woman in front of him. He was incredibly proud of the progress she had made since she was a child and was proud to have been one of the people who taught her what she knew. "Sense news in you, I do." He said softly, inviting Mace Windu to sit beside him. "Pain there was in you, still lingering. Say what you must."   
  
Her previous Masters eyes widened as she unclipped the lightsaber and pressed the button, the weapon exploding in red light. "Where did you get that, Opal?" Mace spoke, his voice laced with anger. "Have you been-"   
  
"Oh, _come on._ " She deadpanned. "You know me better then that, Master Windu. I was not covering my Jedi status by working with the Sith, but I went to my family apartment yesterday and found that my father was the one who had been working with the Sith. From what I understand, he was just beneath Lord Sidious. I have reason to believe he might still be alive."   
  
"Parker, the one who sat on our Council, was working with the Sith?" He growled, tucking the saber underneath his chair. "How did we not sense this, Master Yoda? Corrupt, this Council was." _Corrupt, this Council is._  
  
"Had a mist of lies over him, Parker did." Yoda replied, hanging his head with shame. He couldn't believe that all these years later, he was finding out that one of his best Jedi had been working with the Sith _while_ sitting on the Council. "Anger and hate, he held. That's what drew him to the Dark Side." He sighed deeply before looking to the offspring of the Stones standing in front of him. "Sorry, I am."   
  
"None of us would have suspected this, Master. I must however make a request that we delete the files on the mission they left on in the Archives. I do not wish to see the details of it, and I would rather not let any of the younglings read it either. Those who were alive at the time respected my parents deeply and I wish to keep the Stone legacy pure." 

Both of the men sitting in front of her nodded. "We will dispose of the saber and the files in the Archives. Thank you for bringing this information to our attention, Opal." She nodded and turned towards the door, frozen at the words that left his lips. "I am proud of the woman you have become, Opal Stone."   
  
She wanted to cry, but somehow she managed to keep herself composed. "T-Thank you Master Windu. I am proud to have been your padawan." He smiled a real, genuine smile before she turned and left the room completely. A sense of joy filled her as she walked towards the training room where she could hear her Padawan swearing underneath his breath. "Anakin?"   
  
"Hey-" A yelp escaped her lips as Anakin’s lightsaber flew in her direction, her fingers just barely wrapping around the hilt to keep it from hitting her face. "H-Hey Opal!"   
  
"Hi Skywalker." She mused. "You stuck over there?" It seemed like from the look on his face that he had been trying to practice his Force manipulation and had lost his saber in the process. "Calm your mind, Anakin. You can't manipulate the Force around you when you're so distracted so easily by a pretty girl."   
  
"Actually," He took his saber from her hand and clipped it to her belt. "I was thinking about something and was wondering if you wanted to help me figure it out." Opal tilted her head as he licked his lips and motioned in the direction of the quarters where Obi Wan must've still been sleeping. "Want to see how long it takes to make Obi-Wan jealous?"   
  
A wicked grin crossed her face as Opal nodded, gasping as he gripped her hand and ran down the hall towards the den in their quarters where they usually trained whenever the Temple training room was full.   
  
_This should be fun._  
  
***  
  
"Anakin?" Obi-Wan called out, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he ventured from room to room in search of his best friend and his padawan. When he saw the scene on the sofa in the den, he wanted to punch his hand through the nearest wall. Anakin had Opal curled up in his arms on the sofa as they reminisced stories between the two of them since she had started training him. "Opal?"   
  
"Obi!" She beamed, peeking up over the pillow behind Anakin to stare at the flustered man by the door. "I thought you were going to sleep forever! Do you feel better?" A blush spread across his cheeks as he nodded, pressing his hands against his hips. "What's wrong?"   
  
"Why are you in Anakin's arms?" He said, his voice dropped nearly to a growl as he watched his padawan nuzzle the back of his woman's neck. "It’s not exactly appropriate conduct. Did you go and visit the council, or have you been screwing around all morning?"   
  
She pinched Anakin's skin as a snort left his lips, hidden by his face in her hair. She could feel the jealousy growing in Obi-Wan's heart. "I did visit the Council, thank you for asking. They disposed of the sword and the file. Anakin said he hadn't spent quality time with me in a while and wanted to reminisce some stories from whenever he was younger."   
  
"You're looking pretty cozy."  
  
Anakin moaned dramatically as she lifted his head and kissed the corner of his mouth, so from Obi-Wans perspective it seemed that she was kissing him full force. Nausea crept into his stomach as he turned to leave, but was stopped by a Force grip on the lower part of his body, dragging him towards Opal. "You stupid, daft man." She whispered as she wrapped her arms around his neck. When Obi-Wan looked down at the sofa, he found the spot Anakin had been occupying vacant. "He is like my brother, and he wanted to try to see how long it would take to make you jealous. It worked evidently."   
  
A breathless sigh left his lips as she stood on her tiptoes and gripped the hair at the nape of his neck to kiss him deeply. Her body fit perfectly in the curve of his own and he absolutely _adored_ every single thing about her. "I wanted to kill him." He murmured, pulling away and resting his face in her shoulder. "I hate you sometimes."   
  
"Ah, yeah, see here's the thing about that. You can't and will never hate me no matter how much you try."   
  
****  
  
A year later, when Anakin was just a few days shy of turning twenty, Opal and Obi-Wan returned with him to Coruscant. Opal was thrilled to finally be reunited with Padmè, who Anakin hadn't shut up about since hearing they were to return to continue protecting the Senator. "Anakin, I love you, but I can't bear to listen to your love life anymore.” She groaned. “Please shut up."   
  
"Anakin, we are here to protect the Senator. You must focus on the matter at hand." Obi-Wan replied. Opal grinned as she stood between her boys, one of which was very nervous to be reunited with the woman he adored. "Although your other Master isn't exactly helping right now.."   
  
Opal stomped her foot hard against his, making him wince as pain shot through his foot. "I'm sorry for telling him to shut up because all he does anymore is talk about Padmè!” She replied sarcastically. "I am cool and collected, thank you very much. And by the way, if we're insulting each other, your hair makes you look like a girl."   
  
When the elevator opened, Padmè couldn't help but grin when she saw Opal running towards her with a wide grin on her face, her brown eyes bright and her blonde hair pulled up into a high ponytail. The two of them had kept in contact for the past year and she had been looking forward to meeting her dear friend again after such a long time of being apart.   
  
Jar Jar Binks was waiting to greet them at the elevator. Opal pushed past the Gungan and grinned at the Senator before running forward to embrace her in a hug. "Amidala, I missed you and your beautiful face."   
  
"I have missed your sarcasm, Opal Stone." Padmè replied, wrapping her arms tightly around the older woman. Opal turned around and took a step backwards towards Obi-Wan as Anakin stepped forward. "Ani? My goodness, have you grown!"   
  
Opal found Anakins love towards Padmè similar to her love for Obi-Wan, but Obi-Wan knew that with the growing love towards the Senator, Anakin's judgement was to be clouded and he would lose sight of what really mattered, which was becoming a Jedi. "I have reason to believe it is the Trade Federation behind all of this."   
  
"I don't need _protecting,_ I need answers **.** I want to know who is trying to kill me."   
  
Padmè could clearly see the devotion towards her in Anakin's beautiful blue eyes, but what really caught her attention was the way that Obi-Wan was acting towards Opal. She had known as a young girl acting as handmaiden how much the two Jedi had cared for each other, but she had never expected anything to actually come out of it.   
  
_Opal_ _snorted, pulling her hair out of the french braid and running her fingers through the elegant golden waves. "Obi-Wan? We aren't anything. Just old friends. We grew up in the Jedi Temple together. He's very kind to me."_  
  
Obi-Wan was irritated that Anakin was still trying to defy the orders that he was given by not just himself, but also by Opal. "Anakin, Obi-Wan is right. We are here to protect Senator Amidala, not to start an investigation on who is trying to kill her." She turned towards her old friend and rested her chin in her hands. "We will keep you safe, my lady. I am curious to know who is trying to kill you."   
  
"So am I, Master Stone."


	11. Chapter Nine:

Opal leaned against the balcony outside Padme's apartment, the fading sunlight flickering in her eyes as she watched the sunset descend. Her mind was filled with troubled thoughts of The Council, and how she would react if they were to find out about her and Obi-Wan. He'd probably up and leave her because he wasn't about to give up all he'd worked so hard to keep. "Is Padme still trying to go through with her psychotic plan?"   
  
Obi-Wan stepped out onto the balcony, welcome the cool breeze as he leaned against the archway to stare at his soul mate. "Anakin is on top of things, just like he always is." He said. Opal turned around to face him, her eyes drinking everything from his glowing blue orbs, the curve of his smile, all the way down to the muscular tone of his body. If flaws existed, Obi Wan didn't have any. “What's wrong, my love?"   
  
She took a deep breath before running a hand through her hair. "I can feel bad things approaching." Opal murmured, avoiding his piercing gaze. She had been trying to put off revealing her inner thoughts for so long because most of the time when she dreamt about something, it didn't come true. "I don't know if it's soon or in our future, but I sense darkness, Obi-Wan."   
  
"There's more then just that, Opal. Please tell me what's wrong."   
  
"Please. _Please_ don't ever leave me." She pleaded, clasping her hands in front of her. His heart stuttered inside his chest as she looked at him with tears in her eyes. "We've been so faithful towards each other over this past year, and I want what I have with you to never end Obi-Wan. I don't like endings.”   
  
"Opal, throughout my years I have made a lot of unforgivable mistakes. When I was reunited with you, I made myself a promise that leaving you, my greatest gift, would be the last thing I do. I would rather die then leave you behind again." Their conversation was halted as they felt a tug towards Padmè's bedroom where the _z_ _ing_ of Anakin's lightsaber slicing something in half was heard.   
  
"Go."   
  
Obi-Wan jumped off the balcony, lunging towards the droid that was carrying the weapon the supposed assassin had used to try to kill Senator Amidala. Opal unsheathed her saber and ran around the corner, smacking into Anakin so hard that he fell backwards onto the floor. "D-Did Obi-Wan just jump off the balcony?!" Anakin gasped, desperate to control his shock and his laughter.   
  
"That's only the beginning!" She exclaimed, racing to pull him along with her as they ran down flights of stairs to exit the building and choose a speeder from the parking lot beside it. "Pick me a speeder, Skywalker! You're flying it!"   
  
Anakin grinned at her as the two of them jumped into a sunshine yellow speeder together, taking off through the mass of people flying throughout Coruscant. Adrenaline coursed through her veins as her blonde hair flew behind her, like ripened grain swaying in the summer breeze. "Where is he?!" Anakin yelled, laughing as he tilted the nose downward to let Obi-Wan in it. "Grab his hand!"   
  
Opal grinned up at her boyfriend as he wiggled his eyebrows at her, outstretching his hand to pull him into the speeder. "Now _that_ is what I call high speed flying. Or in other words, another form of _torture!-_ " He exclaimed, gripping her hand as Anakin dipped the nose of the speeder downwards. "I hate flying. This is practically suicide!"   
  
All three of them screamed as Anakin curved around pillars of fire, leading them through electrified power couplings that powered Coruscant. Opal convulsed against Obi-Wan, unable to speak albeit the laughter that spilled from her lips. "Hey Skywalker, I hate to break it to you, but you lost him."   
  
"Excuse me Master Stone."   
  
Obi-Wan and Opal grimaced as he jumped out of the speeder, outstretching his limbs to help him free fall quicker. The blonde woman took the wheel as Obi Wan stood, catching Anakin's lightsaber. "I hate it when he does that." The Master Jedi grumbled, gasping as Opal tilted the nose of the speeder down and landed it safely in front of a club. "Opal! Why are we going inside the club?"   
  
She turned towards him and flipped her head up, releasing her confined curls from the ponytail and wiggling her eyebrows at Obi-Wan. "C'mon Kenobi, you've always said you wanted to have a drink with a hot blonde. Why don't we start now?"   
  
"Where are you two going?" Anakin exclaimed, his eyes narrowing in as Opal wrapped her arm through Obi-Wans and rested her head against his shoulder.   
  
"I believe Mr. Kenobi is going to buy me a drink." Opal replied seductively, winking at their padawan as she watched him coalesce with the others in the club. "This is a drink that's long overdue." Obi Wan turned to the woman on his arm with a skeptical look on his face, confused as to why she was acting so _sexy._ "What? I'm only telling the truth."   
  
It didn't go unnoticed how many heads turned whenever Obi sat down at the bar with her, ordering two blue drinks. Obi-Wan felt a ting of jealousy as he realized the men beside her were drooling into their drinks. _That is my woman._ Opal took a sip of the blue liquid, trying to contain her laughter as the man to his right attempted to sell Obi Wan death sticks. "You want to go home and rethink your life."   
  
"I want to go home and rethink my life." He repeated.   
  
She turned in her seat, crossing her legs as Obi Wan took a sip of his own drink. "That poor man was just trying to make a living." She mused, lightly kissing his jaw as he stared at her. It was always amusing to see how flustered he would get when she would show any sort of affection in public. "You keep staring at me like that, I might just do something naughty."   
  
Now if you wanted to ever embarrass a Master Jedi, who 99% of the time was a bad a**, that was the way to do it.   
  
Obi-Wan whipped around as he felt the barrel of a blaster aim directly at Opal's head, cutting through both arms of the changeling behind him before she could even react. Anakin suddenly chose that moment to reappear, standing in front of his Masters who were drawing all the attention to themselves. "Jedi business.” He announced. “Go back to your drinks."   
  
While Anakin and Obi Wan took the woman outside, Opal remained behind in the Club when she felt two dark, angry eyes settle on her. She could not pinpoint the location, but those eyes felt so familiar and so _cold._ Shewas curious as to whom they belonged to.   
  
In the back of the club, an older man with piercing green eyes wearing a black robe reclined in a booth, his lips curled against the top of his glass as he watched the blonde woman look around the club before leaving the premises. Pulling up his sleeve, he stared down at the tattoo of his Jedi Number he had taken the liberty to imprint on his skin years ago.   
  
_78663._  
  
***  
  
Opal stood inside the Council Chambers that next morning, her shoulder just barely brushing with Obi-Wans as they listened to the orders Master Windu was giving them. "Anakin, escort Senator Amidala back to her home planet of Naboo. Don't use registered transport. Travel as refugees."   
  
"As the leader of the Opposition, it will be very difficult to get Senator Amidala to leave the Capitol.'' Anakin replied, struggling to not hunch his shoulders as he spoke. Opal was incredibly proud of who he was becoming. However, like Obi Wan, she didn't feel as if he were ready to take on a mission of his own yet.   
  
"Go to the Senate and talk to Chancellor Palpatine. She can not refuse an executive order."   
  
All three Jedi nodded as they exited the room, and Anakin pulled Opal into a hug before leaving the Temple completely. "Wait, you must." Yoda called out, drawing both Opal and Obi Wans attention to himself and Master Windu.   
  
"Master, with all due respect, we both have concerns for our Padawan. We feel he is not ready to be given this assignment on his own yet."   
  
"The Council is confident in its decision, Obi-Wan." Yoda replied, raising his hand to speak to the male Jedi. "Given an assignment at such a young age, you both were. Be fine, he will." Opal smiled at the memory of the first time she'd left the Temple after her parents died, when she and Obi Wan had been assigned to do a small mission a few planets away from Coruscant. They had only been a few years younger then Anakin was, and had succeeded with the mission quickly, but she never let him live it down.   
  
He had somehow managed to fall into a heap of alien eggs, of which species she did not know, but the expression on his face was past priceless as he submerged, covered in a translucent slime that coated him from head to toe.

 _"Awe, look at how adorable you are!" She cooed, grinning over the edge of the platform.  
  
"If you think it's so adorable, you can come be adorable with me._"   
  
Lets just say that the two of them arrived back to the Temple laughing like idiots and covered in slime. The rest is a story for another day.   
  
"Anakin still has much to learn, Master." Opal spoke. "His abilities have made him arrogant." Her words reverberated inside of her head, drawing her back to the days where her father trained inside their home and yelled at her mother, quite often, because he always thought he was better then everyone else when it came to his swordsmanship.   
  
"Ah, yes. A common flaw in Jedi. Mhm. To sure of themselves, they are. Even the older, more experienced ones."   
  
"Remember Obi-Wan, Opal, if the Prophecy is true, your apprentice is the only one who can bring the Force back into balance." Master Windu said, bowing lowly before turning the corner and disappearing from their side.  
  
Obi-Wan bowed alongside Opal as they turned away to fetch a transport to take them back to see Padme and Anakin off to Naboo. "I am proud of you, sweetheart." Obi Wan whispered, sitting beside her as their transport began to drive down the road. "You are growing much stronger then I could ever be, and your hatred towards the Council has almost completely diminished."   
  
"If it wasn't for you, none of that would've happened." She replied, using the security of her robe to press a small kiss to his lips. "You've made me a better person and I can't thank you enough for it. Even if your hair does resemble that of a girl."   
  
"I hate you sometimes."   
  
She smiled brightly as she removed her robe, stepping off of the transport and into the dock. The sun reflected against her hair as she twirled around, her lungs inhaling crisp, clean Coruscantian air. "You can keep saying that, but I'll never believe it."   
  
The two of them boarded a different transport that was carrying Senator Amidala, who looked less than thrilled to leave with Anakin as her bodyguard. "I am glad that the Council has put the two of you on this assignment, Opal. I only wish for all of this to be over." She murmured.   
  
"We'll have you back here in no time, my lady." Obi Wan reassured, taking a half bow before smiling at her. "Anakin? May The Force be with you." Anakin's eyes flickered between Opal and Obi-Wan, who were both smiling despite the anxiety creeping up on them.   
  
"May the Force be with you too, Masters."   
  
Opal sighed as she watched Anakin walk away with Padme, R2D2 trailing aimlessly behind them while beeping happily. "I'm concerned he's going to do something stupid." She said softly, lacing her fingers through Obi-Wan's beneath the sleeves of their robes. "Really stupid."   
  
"I'd be more concerned about her doing something, then him."   
  
The Master Jedi turned to his partner and smiled widely, pulling a card containing credits out of his pocket. "Would you care to join me on a date, beautiful?" His flirting always made her blush like a maniac, and it always won her over with him when he asked for something. "I need to ask an old friend some questions about the poison dart used on the Changeling. He works at a diner downtown."   
  
"Any date with you is a date well spent, Obi Wan Kenobi."   
  
The two of them left the docks and made way towards what he called Dex's Diner which was in downtown Coruscant, a shanty building that glinted silver and had the classic **OPEN** sign flashing in the window. Opal waved her hand as they entered the diner and a red droid approached them. "You here to see Dex?"   
  
"Yes. He's an old friend of mine. I need to speak with him about something." He said. Opal nodded and watched as the droid sped around the counter and began speaking to the cook. "Would you rather just get a drink and wait for me? It might be a while."   
  
She nodded and kissed his cheek, sitting down at an booth two down from the one Obi Wan occupied and tapping her fingers against the table. "Do you want a cup of Jawa juice?"   
  
"Yes, thank you."   
  
In the time she spent listening to Obi-Wan and Dex speak, she found herself reflecting on the past years that she had spent with the Jedi Master. After losing her parents, she'd felt like there was nothing left for her in this world. Like she had no purpose, and that the weapon in her hand at all times wasn't strong enough to save peoples lives anymore. But when she'd reunited with Obi-Wan, and began training Anakin, Opal began to feel like she finally belonged somewhere, and that place was in the arms of Obi Wan Kenobi. The man who dedicated his life to the Jedi Order, and fell in love somewhere along the way.   
  
His arms... They were home.   
  
_Home._ The only home she had ever truly had.


	12. Chapter Ten:

"This won't take long, Opal." Obi-Wan reassured, pulling the blonde along as they walked towards the training room where Master Yoda was in the middle of a session with younglings. "You can even ask him, if you want. You look incredibly bored."   
  
"I love kids. By all means," She extended her hand and smiled at him. "You may speak. It is what you do best." Awe crossed Opal's face as she entered the room, her eyes drinking in the sight of each child before her. "Hello children."   
  
"Hello Master Opal. Hello Master Obi-Wan." They greeted. She knelt in front of the children, who began to pester her with questions as Obi-Wan exchanged words with Yoda. Opal answered each question thoroughly, making sure to give the children as much detail as possible. She had loved kids since she was a teenager, and had often thought of what it would be like to start a family with Obi-Wan.   
  
_He would make a fantastic father._  
  
The stars reflected in Opals eyes as she stood behind Obi Wan, confused as to why Kamino was no longer on the Archives. "That doesn't make any sense, Master." Opal said softly, running a hand through her air as she examined the star system. Realization creeped up onto her face as she studied it closer. "Someone erased it."   
  
"Right, your partner is." Yoda replied. "Go to the center of gravities pull, and find your planet, you will."   
  
"But Master Yoda, isn't it impossible to erase files from the archives?" Obi-Wan said, crossing his arms over his chest. Opal stood close by his side, waiting for an answer from their teacher.   
  
"Only a Jedi could've done this. Meditate on it, I will."   
  
Opal's face paled slightly as she turned towards the man she adored, her brow furrowed and her face contorted in fear. "Obi-Wan," She murmured softly. "What-What if my father was behind this? I feel his presence with me, like he is constantly watching my every move, and it _terrifies me."  
  
_"You can not assume things yet." He replied, running his thumb over the inside of her wrist. "If it is him, we will take him down together. Just like we always do."   
  
***  
  
Opal parked her ship beside Obi-Wans, gasping as the cockpit opened and exposed her to the bitter chill of rain soaking her to the bone. Her teeth began to chatter as she pulled her hood over her head and rushed inside.

"I bet you would really like to see what I look like wet, wouldn't you?" She asked.   
  
Opal wanted to smack him when he grinned widely and wiggled his eyebrows despite the blush growing on his face. "You've read my mind, you _bad girl._ " He taunted, grabbing her hand and lacing their fingers together. She absolutely loved the affection he gave her whenever they were alone together. He never failed to make her feel more wanted. “But don't tell anyone I said that."   
  
The two of them turned towards a woman much older then the both of them, tall and thin with eyes that reflected galaxies of stars. "Master Jedis," Her voice was soft, like a field of unpicked cotton. "The Prime Minister is expecting you."   
  
Kamino was an extremely interesting planet. Opal watched in wonder as the Prime Minister led her and Obi Wan through a large building that held the clone soldiers that made up the army of the Republic. Each pod held multiple clones at different stages of life. From fetus, to child, to teenager, to man. Everything they had done was quite impressive. "Do you think this is the same bounty hunter we're looking for?" Opal whispered, shivering as Taun We lead the two of them down a white hallway with multiple doors on either side.   
  
"If my assumption is correct, yes." Obi Wan replied.   
  
Opal shivered as cold air blew against her wet skin. Obi-Wan gripped her hand tightly as they entered the small room where Boba and Jengo Fett lived. The young boy wouldn't stop staring at her, like she was familiar to him. "This is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi and Opal Stone. They've come to check on your progress."   
  
"Your clones are very impressive. You must be very proud."   
  
The smirk growing on the bounty hunters face was irritating enough to where Opal wanted to lean forward and punch him in the mouth. "I'm just a simple man striving to be _powerful_ making my way in the Universe." Her palms suddenly became slick with sweat as she struggled to form a sentence.   
  
Luckily, Obi-Wan was always the better speaker of the two of them. "Ever made it as far as Coruscant?" Opal kept her eyes trained on the mans wrist, where there was a familiar number she'd seen imprinted into both her mother and fathers skin as a child. **78663.** The last name of every Jedi forever on the wrists of each, with a simple numeric code.   
  
"Hi, I'm Opal. I'm not much of a talker, but I do have to ask you something." Her voice was sickly sweet as she lunged forward and gripped Jango Fett's wrist, holding it high above his head. "As far as I can tell, you are no Jedi. And if you were, your last name isn't Stone. **78663.** '' Obi-Wan kept a relatively cool expression as Opal grit her teeth, towering over the pinned bounty hunter. "Does the name _Parker Stone_ sound familiar to you?"   
  
"This is the number that each clone is given when they are created. Mine just happened to be that," A growl escaped her throat as she stood beside Obi-Wan, dusting off her robes and turning towards the door. "Your army will exceed your expectations, I promise you that."   
  
"Thank you for your time Jengo." The two of them bowed and left the room, intent on making their way back towards the ships that waited outside. Opal let out a growl of disgust as she walked in sync with Obi-Wan. "He's a liar, Obi-Wan. All Jedi have their last names imprinted on their wrists upon passing the Trials. I do." She lifted her wrist and pulled the sleeve of her robe down to reveal her imprint, **78663.** "I'm convinced that my father is still alive."   
  
"Or maybe you're just paranoid." He retorted. "We'll inform the Council of what's going on and go from there, Opal. If Parker is alive, he will make a reappearance." She forced a smile and nodded, flipping the hood of the robe and following the man she loved out into the rain.   
  
***  
  
 _Anakin knelt inside the hut, his fingers gripping the lifeless body of his mother Shmi Skywalker who was beginning to take her final breaths of life. "My son-" She whispered, her fingertips barely grazing his cheek. "I-I love-"  
  
The Jedi Padawan swallowed the tears in his eyes as his mothers eyes closed, and the last breath left her lips as Shmi Skywalker died in his arms. "S-Stay with me mom." He pleaded, his cries falling upon deaf ears. And for the first time in his entirety of being Opals padawan, he finally understood why she had held so much anger and so much hatredtowards the people who allowed her parents to be killed. _  
  
Opal gripped at her chest as pain filled her heart, and silent sobs began to echo in her head. Her mind thought of Anakin, who was guarding Padme on Naboo while the two of them attempted to find the person behind Senator Amidala's murder attempts.   
  
She could _feel_ the anger, the grief, the rage, and the _guilt_ that coursed through Anakin Skywalker in that moment of loss. Something she had been through so long ago that only her boys had pulled her out of, and she had been praying that Anakin would never fall to the darkness she'd succumbed to as a teenager. "Obi-Wan-" She cried out, turning to the man she loved with tears in her eyes. He rose an eyebrow as he clipped his lightsaber onto his belt. "I can feel Anakin's pain, his sorrow.. Something's _wrong._ "


	13. Chapter Eleven:

Opal let out a sigh of content as they landed their ships on the earth of Geonosis, the sunlight faded and the sky a mixture of inky black and deep blue. "The stars are beautiful tonight." Obi-Wan called out, shaking the water out of his hair as he stared up at the sky.   
  
"No where near as beautiful as you." She whispered, just loud enough for herself to hear as the two of them entered a large hallway that supposedly lead to where they would find the Viceroys and the rest of the Separatists. Opal stuck close to Obi Wan as they peered over the side and grimaced at what was beneath them. "A droid making factory. How typical is that?"   
  
Thousands of droids being prepped for war.   
  
Opal and Obi-Wan continued down the hall and skipped down the staircase, frozen at the sounds of the Viceroys and a much older man who Opal recognized instantly. Obi Wan cursed under his breath as he pulled Opal back against his chest and pressed his hand over her mouth. Her chest heaved as she calmed herself before the two of them continued lurking in the shadows.   
  
"If you get yourself killed, I'm gonna kill you." Opal deadpanned, eyes glittering as Obi-Wan pressed her back against the wall and out of sight of the other men below them. Both Jedis stared deeply into one another eyes as Obi Wan leaned in closer, his crystal colored orbs flickering from Opal's doe brown eyes to full, bow shaped lips.   
  
"I'd much rather be killed by your beauty then by a blaster any day," His voice was husky as his lips inched closer to hers that if she just happened to lean forward as well, they'd be kissing. Again. "You're _intoxicating._ "   
  
"I-I thought you said that Jedi weren't allowed to fall in love," She whispered breathlessly, sighing as he captured her lips with his own and pinned her hands to the wall. Years ago, Opal never would've imagined herself as a woman hopelessly in love with the man who had become her best friend, and living a secret life together as one. Not as individuals. "That's what we're supposed to believe, anyways."   
  
"Well, an old friend told me once, a long time ago, that the Jedi Council can't tell you who to give your heart to." He pulled away to stare deeply into her eyes, that lopsided smile spreading across his cheeks as she averted her gaze to the floor, biting down on her lip. "And she was all the more right."   
  
***  
  
 _Meanwhile on Tatooine..  
  
"It's all Obi-Wan and Opal's fault! They're both just jealous **.** " Padme took a step back from the man she loved as he vented out all of his anger and rage over losing his mother, someone he'd cared for so deeply that death had stolen from him. "They always have been!"   
  
"Anakin, what's wrong?" She said softly. Opal had always been one of Padme's beloved friends, someone she could look up to in times of need and was always a confidant when she couldn't trust one of her colleagues in the Senate. She knew that Opal was never jealous of how far Anakin had come. If anything, she was unbelievably proud of her padawan.   
  
Padme's heart stuttered inside her chest as Anakin turned towards her, gritting his teeth as his pale baby blue eyes filled with hot tears. "I killed them, Padme. All of them. Not just the men, but the women. And the children too. They were animals, so I slaughtered them like animals.I hate them-"  
  
The younger woman knelt down beside the man she loved as he broke down in tears, and there was always that nagging fear in the back of her mind that losing Shmi would be the beginning of the downfall of Anakin Skywalker. _  
  
Opal was beyond frustrated as she and Obi-Wan levitated in a containment field that was acting like their own personal prison, restrained at the ankles and the feet. She knew that her anger was going to get the best of her when Count Dooku, the supposed murderer of her parents (well, her mother at least) entered the room with a smug expression on his face.   
  
"You know, I've never wished death on anyone before." She spoke calmly, her eyes bright with an unleashed fire as she stared at Count Dooku. "But _Lord,_ if I wasn't chained up right now, you would be dead seven times over." The Sith Lord chuckled under his breath as he stared up at the daughter of Parker Stone, a woman who held so much raw _anger_ for the loss of her parents that it was shocking she hadn't succumbed to the darkness that was waiting for her.   
  
"Ah, Opaline Harmony Stone." She froze as her full name spilled from the older mans lips. The last time she had heard the name _Opaline_ had been whenever her parents told Master Windu her full name so she could start her training to be a Jedi. "You are one impressive creature. I'll give you that." Count Dooku circled around the two Jedi like a predator closing in on their prey. "Master Kenobi seems fiercely protective of you."   
  
"I would give my life for her, Count." Obi Wan responded. "But I'm sure you have questions for us, and I will try to answer them so she doesn't kill you whenever you issue our release."   
  
"Ah, yes. One question in particular, I do have. Why are two Jedi Knights like yourselves all the way out here on Geonosis?" Opal pursed her lips as she remained silent, giving Obi-Wan the opportunity to speak.   
  
"The two of us have been tracking a bounty hunter named Jango Fett. Do you know him?" Count Dooku shook his head, and Opal snickered when she realized that he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. "Stop staring at her."   
  
"Yes sir." Count Dooku replied, faking a mock salute as he continued pacing. "There are no bounty hunters here that I am aware of. The Geonosians don't trust them, _but_ we have had an ex-Jedi here in the past years. I think you would know him, Opaline."   
  
"Assuming is one of the last things you should do when making statements like that, Count." She breathed. "What was this ex-Jedi's name?"   
  
"I believe his last name was Stone. Tall, muscular, thick blonde hair and green eyes. Reminded me alot of you, actually." The blonde woman grit her teeth as Count Dooku began to retell a story he constantly replayed in his mind. "There were two Jedi who came here on a mission _years_ ago to retrieve something for the Jedi Council. A beautiful woman with brown eyes and brown hair, and the man I just described to you. Husband and wife, they were. _Lorelei and Parker Stone."_  
  
Obi-Wan knew that there was no turning back now as he eyed Opal's tense body language, the way she kept trying to avert glaring down at the Sith Lord but couldn't draw her eyes away from him as he spoke. "I should've figured it was you." She spat angrily. "Sith Lord is a murderer. Typical. What else have you got?"   
  
_She was pushing back all of the anger she held to make sure Count Dooku couldn't take advantage of it. Perfect._ "I remember the day they died, so bravely too. Lorelei gave herself up for Parker and I stabbed her through the heart. She cried for _you_ and she cried for your pathetic father."  
  
"He was no where near as pathetic as you." She replied sarcastically. "My parents were the heroes that a scared, broken little blonde girl needed. They died with honor."   
  
"Your father was not found afterwards. He took your mothers body and left. Such a sad sob story." He hung his head sadly, like he was actually upset that he couldn't kill both of her parents. "Anyways, back to the land of reality here. Qui Gon admired both of you two deeply. I wish that he was still alive, his help would be so useful right now."   
  
" _Qui Gon Jinn would never join you._ " The two Jedi spoke in unison, their voices laced with disgust towards the man in front of them.   
  
"Well, here's the truth I found out. What if I told you that the Republic was under the control of the dark lord of the Sith?" Opal's face paled at his words, but she was not surprised. Everything about the Republic and the Jedi order was corrupt.   
  
But Obi-Wan was still faithful. "No, that's not true. The Jedi Council would know about it!"   
  
"No. They wouldn't." Opal said. Count Dooku smiled up at her as she shook her head. "The Dark Side has clouded their vision, Obi-Wan. Everything we see, they can't."   
  
"Oh, _I like you._ So much spirit and so much personality. You would be a great Sith someday Opal." Obi-Wan's head snapped towards the Sith Lord as he stared up with eager eyes at the woman beside him. "I can _feel_ your anger, your hatred.."   
  
"Opaline Stone will never be a Sith." He growled. Opal couldn't help but smile into her shoulder as she listened to Obi Wan defend her. Even all these years later, he was still so _fiercely_ protective _._ "She will not fall to darkness like you have, Count."   
  
"If she won't, you could join me!" Opal rolled her eyes out of annoyance as Count Dooku persisted in trying to turn Obi Wan to the Dark Side. "Together, Obi-Wan, we could join as one and destroy the Sith once and for all!"   
  
"Obi-Wan Kenobi will never join you, Count Dooku. And neither will I."   
  
Narrowed eyes shifted between the two Jedi, and a small smirk crept up onto his lips as he turned to face the door. "You know, I've been through the Council. I know how corrupt the Jedi are in their beliefs. But if what you two have isn't _love,_ I don't know what is.” He clucked his tongue disapprovingly. “What a shame. It’ll be the end of your livelihood as you know it.”


	14. Chapter Twelve:

As they stood chained _again_ to large rock pillars, Obi-Wan found himself genuinely afraid for the wellbeing of his best friend who was on the pillar opposite of him. They had discarded their robes, leaving them in their thin tunics with no weapon to retrieve since the Count had taken those for himself too. "This was the last place I expected to be. Chained side by side, with you." Opal retorted, flashing him her signature smile before turning back to the crowd.   
  
"If I'm going to die, Opal, I'm glad it's with you." He turned his body so the two of them could look at each other, the chains digging into his skin. A breathless smile crossed his face, one of pure adoration and love for the woman he adored. "It's always been you."   
  
Her heart stopped inside her chest as she tried to formulate an answer, but was stopped by their padawans voice from somewhere behind them. "We’re not dying.” She replied matter-of-factly. Her laughter echoed in the air as Anakin and Padme appeared. “Ah, Skywalker. I was wondering if you were going to be the hero today. I don't think I could've been more wrong." Anakin grumbled, sticking his tongue out to his Master who was grinning wickedly.   
  
"We were coming to rescue you, Masters."   
  
Opal stifled a laugh as Obi-Wan sighed dishearteningly and allowed his eyes to shift upward where his hands were chained. "Good job." All four pair of eyes widened as a barrage of grotesque aliens made their way towards them with the intent to kill. "Opal, it's coming after both of us."   
  
The blondes chest began to heave as her mind began to formulate a plan to get them both out of their predicament. "You don't think?" She replied sarcastically, gasping as the alien attacking both her and Obi-Wan slammed its claw into the chains, causing them to fall to the ground and off of her hands. "We working together on this, Kenobi?"   
  
"I wouldn't want anything else, Stone. Watch yourself!"   
  
Both of the Jedi Masters worked better as one unit then two separate people, and it was clear that they had been training their entire lives for a moment like this. Each moment they struck was precise and clean, but only if they were fighting in unison.   
  
Opal’s heart lifted when the sounds of at least a hundred lightsabers coming to life began to echo around the coliseum, signaling that their reinforcements had finally arrived. "Obi-Wan-" Opal breathed, staring up at the other Jedis in awe. " _I love you._ "   
  
Anakin let out a gleeful shriek as he heard the three familiar words spill from Opal's lips that should've been said years ago. Obi Wan's chest constricted as the two of them stared at each other in shock, the sounds of war filtering around the coliseum as she awaited his answer. "You fool! Say something!" Anakin exclaimed, blocking multiple gunshots with the blade of his lightsaber.   
  
Obi-Wan pulled Opal to him by her hip and grinned, blissfully callous that the entirety of the Jedi Order was surrounding them and could see their every move. "I love you too." He replied, beaming at her like a lovesick puppy as the two of them pulled apart to continue fighting what the story book called _The Clone Wars_ for centuries to come.   
  
The four of them boarded the transport the Clones had used to arrive, their destination to get away from the destruction. Unfortunately, Count Dooku was ahead of them and sped in front of the transport, his eyes locked on the hangar deeper into the planet. Opal turned around and eyed her padawan, curious as to why anger lurked in his pale, baby blue eyes.   
  
Just like Obi-Wan, she was naive.   
  
"There isn't time for help! Anakin and I can handle this!"   
  
Opal turned to Obi-Wan with a skeptical look, her arms crossed over her chest. "You need me too, Obi-Wan. I’m not-"   
  
"I need to protect you. Dooku is dangerous, and he will do whatever he can to turn you." She cursed under her breath and resisted the urge to punch her lover in his handsome face.   
  
"Obi-Wan, that man _destroyed_ my life and he is PROUD of it!" She snapped, finally releasing what she had wanted to say in Count Dookus presence hours earlier. "He is a psychopath, and a _murderer_ , and he deserves whatever is coming to him! If killing the Count is the last thing I do, I don't care. It'll be worth it."   
  
"Opal, I don't want your thirst for revenge to be the end of you." The Jedi breathed, blinking back the fear lurking in his eyes. She was so bloodthirsty that it truly terrified him to know what path she would be taking, and whether or not he could follow it.   
  
The blonde woman pulled her hair into a high ponytail, tightening it before picking up Obi-Wan's hand. She placed it against hers, relishing the warmth it gave as their fingers slowly laced together. "Together, Obi-Wan Kenobi. Or not at all."   
  
The Masters and The Apprentice entered Count Dooku's hangar and found him waiting for them, saber ready. Opal stuck close behind her boys, tossing her lightsaber and catching it as she waited for her precise moment to strike. She grimaced as lightning flew from the Sith Lord's fingertips and struck her Padawan, throwing him across the room.   
  
" _You will be a hero someday, Opal. And you will know who **your** hero is." _  
  
Her mother’s words echoed inside her head as she threw her lightsaber directly at Obi-Wan, who brought it to life in a mirage of silver and blue as he fought the Count. Her heart crawled into her throat as Count Dooku brought his lightsaber across Obi Wans arm and leg. He fell to the ground with a groan.  
  
Not five minutes later, Anakin lost his hand, and all she saw was red.   
  
''Oh, my beloved Opaline Stone." Count Dooku smiled as she closed in on him, unaware of Yoda lurking in the shadows behind her. "You fight so valiantly! Sticking up for the man you love and the brother you've never had, it really is quite remarkable, the people you give your heart away to. You remind me so much of your father."   
  
Obi-Wan was silently cheering for his lover as she fought against the Count, blocking his each move to sever a limb from her body. "I've learned alot in the years I've been a Jedi." She snarled, throwing her arm outwards towards his head and taking his ear clean off with her lightsaber. The fact she had made another human bleed shouldn't have made her happy. But it did. "Never cruel, never cowardly. Never give up, and never give in."   
  
She did a backflip towards the two men as Yoda entered the room clutching his cane, adamant that he finish her job in trying to destroy the Sith Lord. Kneeling down next to Obi Wan, she grimaced and pulled the medical gaze she normally kept with her out of the pockets of her robes. "Why are you always more prepared?" Obi Wan muttered, grimacing as she pulled him against her chest and began to examine the cuts he had gained from his fight.   
  
"You know, if I wasn't such a beneficial part of both your lives," Obi Wan inhaled shaky breaths as she bent over his shoulder and ran her fingers through a comatose Anakin's sweaty brown hair. "You would've been dead a long time ago."   
  
"Well, I'm glad you are my hero I've been waiting for." He breathed, pressing a kiss to her temple as she helped him to stand to his feet. Obi groaned as pain shot through his thigh, unable to stand on his own. She ducked her head beneath his arm, grinning as he leaned against her for support.   
  
The three of them boarded Padmes star ship that would take them home to Coruscant, exhausted and very much in need of food. Opal grunted as Obi-Wan sat on a spare cot, removing his robes and rolling up the leg of his pants to reveal a nasty gash several inches long on his thigh. The two of them remained silent as she took more gauze and managed to redress the wound. "I wasn't kidding when I said it you know." She whispered, kissing her fingers and running them along the bandage to make sure it stayed.

Again she murmured, " _I love you."_ and with all the strength sapped from his body, he could not do anything but smile.   
  
He still couldn't believe that of all people, she had picked him. "It's still so hard to believe." He murmured uncertainly. "But I wasn't kidding earlier, darling. You are the only woman I have ever loved, the only one I have ever given my heart to for safe keeping. Opaline Harmony Stone.." He pulled her into his lap, brushing a stray hair behind her ear and gripping her chin, capturing her lips with his own. She giggled as their noses brushed and his warm, calloused hands lightly gripped her waist. " _The love of my life._ "   
  
Three weeks later  
  
"Please let me cut your hair."   
  
"Not a chance, even if you continue to try and win me over with your adorable pout. I'm not falling for it."   
  
"I love you?"   
  
"Suck up."   
  
Opal snorted as she pulled her mass of blonde hair onto the top of her head, fashioning it into a messy bun so she could continue cleaning. The two of them had taken the day away from the temple to clean out her parents apartment so "she could live alone." That was what they’d told The Council. In reality, Obi-Wan was moving in with her. He had been incredibly reluctant at first until she had been able to convince him otherwise.   
  
The two of them had been bickering over the length of his hair for forty five minutes and they had barely cleaned the kitchen and the living room. "I would like to be able to kiss you without getting your hair in my face." Obi Wan lifted his head from where he was wiping down the glass table in the living room. "C'mon Obi Wan.. Please?"   
  
"Only if I get something in return." She quirked an eyebrow as he stood, grinning that _unbelievably stupid_ smile as he strutted across the room to where she was leaning against the counter. "A kiss for a cut?"   
  
"You are asking for it, Kenobi." She murmured, giggling as he pushed her against the countertop and took her lips with his own. He tasted like a mixture of chocolate, with the slightest hint of mint mixed in. Her mind blanked as she became intoxicated with the touch and taste that belonged to him and only him.   
  
The two Jedi were so caught up in each other that they were oblivious to Anakin sneaking into the apartment, clutching two travel bags in his hands. The Knight (soon to be Master.. mind you.) had been on his honeymoon with Padmè Amidala-Skywalker on her home planet of Naboo for nearly three weeks and had come back to Coruscant to visit his Masters with his blushing bride. "Oh _good Lord!_ " Anakin exclaimed, groaning as Obi-Wan and Opal pulled apart to look in his direction. "I'm home for five minutes and you two can not keep your hands off of each other! I think I need to bleach my eyes!”   
  
Opal sighed and exited the kitchen, pulling him to her with the Force and crushing him in a hug. "I missed your annoying presence, Ani." She mused, lightly tapping his nose. "Where's that wife of yours? I haven't been in the presence of another woman with estrogen in weeks. I need a good glass of wine and estrogen."   
  
"Girl talk." Obi-Wan muttered, snickering under his breath. "Anakin, will you join me out on the back deck?" The Knight ran a hand through his growing brown hair, nodding as he followed behind Obi-Wan, shutting the door to the back of the apartment as he went.   
  
Padme entered the apartment with a smile on her face, her brown eyes shining with excitement as she enveloped the other woman in a hug. "I am so glad to see you, Opal." She murmured, pulling on the ends of her long, elegant brown ringlets that hung over her shoulders. "But I can see you and Obi-Wan are only getting closer."   
  
"Yeah," She said breathlessly, smiling at the sight of her boys out on the deck talking like old friends. "I love him, Padme. It's so hard to admit because I still wonder at times how we managed to be together with our pasts and our current circumstances, but it's him. It has always been him." Padme sat on the sofa, taking the bottle of wine and pouring herself a glass as Opal sat opposite of her.   
  
"Do you want to marry him?"   
  
It wasn't long before Opal answered. "I do. I don't care if we do it in secret like you and Anakin did, but I want to spend the rest of my life with that man." She studied Obi-Wan with soft brown eyes, her gaze flickering from his lips, to his bright blue eyes, to the way his lips curved into a smile when Anakin said something ridiculous. "He's made me a better person by being in my life, and I can't thank him enough for it."   
  
"You know, I never guessed that you would fall in love, being a Jedi and all. It honestly didn't surprise me whenever I figured out it was him." Padme confessed, running her elegant fingers over the white and gold embroidered gown she was wearing. ''If you two were to somehow be separated.. I think it would be the death of him."   
  
Opal pondered the Senators words as she watched Obi-Wan and Anakin converse on the deck, a content smile on her face and happiness in her heart as she sipped her Coruscantian wine while watching the sunset.   
  
It was truly a beautiful sight. One of the few she'd see for a long time.


	15. Chapter Thirteen:

When Padmè and Anakin received the news of Obi-Wan's proposal to Opal, the two of them immediately retrieved the same priest who had done their wedding and took the couple to the back country of Naboo where they were to be married.   
  
Sunshine fell from a cloudless sky into the tall, emerald grasses where Obi-Wan and Opal stood together with their hands laced together. The wedding scene was one of true serenity. Twin waterfalls stood against the cliffs in the distance. Not another soul was around albeit themselves, the Skywalkers, and their priest.

"Do you, Opaline Harmony Stone, take Obi-Wan Kenobi to be your husband? In sickness, In health, until death do you part?"   
  
Opals eyes, which were decorated in an intricate mixture of silver and white eyeshadow, shifted over to Obi Wan who was staring at her with pure devotion in his gaze. She ran her thumbs over the bridge of his knuckles and nodded. "I do." She replied.   
  
Anakin couldn't help but snicker when he noticed how red Obi-Wans face became when the Jedi had realized it was his turn to confirm his vows. Padmè gently nudged her husband and crossed her arms over her chest, doe eyes scanning the wedding dress she had given to Opal. It was low cut with gold embroidered at the seams, the delicate lace train ending six or seven feet behind her. The veil was short, fixed with pearls around Opal's face and pinned back with several silver bobby pins.   
  
She was gorgeous.   
  
"Do you, Obi-Wan Kenobi, take Opal Stone to be your wife? In sickness and in health, until death do you part?" Opal leaned forward and tilted Obi Wan's chin up with her finger, his eyes searching her own with a flicker of nerves lurking in them.   
  
"I do." Obi Wan replied, his heart swelling as they detached their hands so Opal could slide his wedding band onto his finger. His hands fell to the swell of her hips, as they always did, when he was searching for an anchor. Opal tilted her head as her hands ran up his chest and sank into Obi Wan's hair.   
  
"May I introduce to you, Mr. and Mrs. Kenobi _._ You may kiss your bride." Eyes fluttering, Opal pulled hard on the fabric of his robes and pulled her husband down to her level, slanting her lips against his own. Anakin and Padme were cheering in the background as Obi-Wan gently pulled on her bottom lip with his teeth, eliciting a moan from deep within the back of her throat that gave him the opportunity to push himself deeper. He would've let Opal swallow him whole if it meant he could do this with her forever.   
  
The two of them were eventually forced to pull apart due to lack of breath, and Opal rested their hands together over his chest. He was smiling. That stupidly breathtaking smile he reserved only for her. "Breathe, husband." Opal whispered, struggling to keep her eyes away from his lips. Obi-Wan chuckled at his wife as he opened his mouth to reply, but was stopped when Padme and Anakin began dumping rose petals on them.   
  
The rest of the day was spent gamboling in the fields, two couples head over heels in love, laughter piercing the air and screams of joy bursting past their lips. When Anakin and Padme left that night, Opal entered the house they'd been given for the next three days in the back country to find Obi-Wan exploring the cottage.   
  
She didn't speak even as she watched him. Blue eyes followed his form in the loose clothes Padme had left for him. The curve of his muscles, the shape of his legs, the pierce of his gaze and the fullness of his lips. Opal could remember spending so much time _yearning_ for him, wishing upon a star every night like a princess waiting for her prince to come. It had been so long of waiting, and now she was _here._ Eager to memorize that body. "I can sense you standing there." He mused, lifting his head to look at her.   
  
_Dear God, let me thank Padmè for the loose clothing later._  
  
"I hate being a Jedi sometimes." She muttered. Her eyes flashed a questioning look as she watched his muscles ripple underneath his white teeshirt as he walked towards her. "Are you going to kiss me, Obi-Wan Kenobi?"   
  
He had much faster reflexes then she did, so when her hands were pinned against the wall and his body was against hers, she wasn't surprised. "Do you have a problem with that, Opal Kenobi?" She shivered at her new name, but would never get tired of hearing it leave his mouth. It was a purer name then Opal Stone.   
  
"Not when I'm married to such a honorable man I don't." She breathed, arching her back as he began to lay tender kisses on her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as she gripped his shirt, allowing Obi Wan to lay his mark on the exposed parts of her body. Nimble fingers raced underneath his teeshirt, tracing the outlines of hard muscles of his abdomen as he kissed every exposed inch of her. "Why are you scared sweetheart?"   
  
It hadn't gone unnoticed how afraid Obi-Wan was at reaching such levels of intimacy. For months he'd contemplated the feelings building up in him for the woman he adored, and he had _no clue_ what he was doing. He didn't know how to woo her like Anakin did with Padmè. He'd been celibate for years. The Code was his life, and here he'd given up his life for the one person who'd _changed_ his life besides his Master. Opal had convinced him, shown him love, and now he was afraid to step over the line in receiving it. "I don't know what I'm doing Opal." He murmured, brushing her long blonde curls behind her shoulders and sliding the sleeve of her dress down. "I don't know how to impress you. I'm scared that I won't-"   
  
"Be as romantic as Anakin is? Know how to _please_ me?" She replied lowly, chest heaving as he pulled away to look at her. "You don't have to be like Anakin when it comes to this, Obi Wan. I can feel your anxiety, how afraid you are to touch me. It's because we're Jedi. We're not supposed to do this and that's what we've spent our entire lives believing. You've always kept to The Code better then I did. It's _okay._ "   
  
He tucked his head to his chest and pulled away from his wife, tears burning his eyes. "I messed this up- I- _I'm so sorry._ " Opal shook her head and grabbed his hand, her white sundress billowing in the breeze flowing through the house as she led him to the master bedroom that overlooked the fields and the waterfalls.   
  
"I don't expect a Master. I don't _want_ a Master." She whispered. Obi-Wan watched as she rolled her fingers against his hips and lifted his shirt up and over his head. "I want _you_ as you are. All married couples learn things together. I want to learn with you, to live a life and grow old with you. Not by myself." 

"I've never-"   
  
There was no denying they were both virgins. When had there been time to even _think_ about sex, let alone pursue it? He hadn't even thought about the possibility of falling in love until they'd been reunited. Now vulnerable and open in the sight of his new wife, Obi Wan found he wished that he'd never become a Jedi in the first place. 

"I know." Opal reassured. "I am too, Obi-Wan. Here's what I want you to understand." She traced the outline of his brow with a single finger. "I want to know you, to _memorize_ you. Every crack, the ridge of every scar, that broken thing you call a heart." A smile crept onto her lips as she stepped away from him and pulled on her own sleepwear. "I love you."

Obi-Wan was in nothing but a loose air of pants when she lead him over to the bed, crawling up his body until she was settled in the cradle of his hips. When she led him over to the bed, he was in nothing but loose sweatpants. When she ghosted a fingertip over a scar on his chest, Obi-Wan finally took the opportunity and spoke. "Bar fight when I was 19. One of the drunk men was taking advantage of a girl."   
  
Opal leaned down and pressed the ghost of a kiss upon the raised ridge of the scar. "I think what really drew me to you was your eyes." She marveled, smiling as she kissed his eyelids. And then he _laughed,_ "They're like pools of crystal, so easy to drown in. I remember one night whenever we were teenagers at the Temple and you took me star gazing... The most beautiful thing in the Universe was the reflection of the stars in your eyes."   
  
He couldn't talk as she continued, whispering stories of love and wonder as Opal Kenobi memorized every part of her husband. When she had finished, Opal found herself curled up in his arms with her hair brushing Obi-Wan's nose, her head resting in the space between his arm and his chest. "I love you." He murmured, brushing his fingers through her hair as they both inhaled the smell of honeysuckle on the breeze.   
  
" _I love you more._ "   
  
When the two of them woke up the next morning and spent their day in the back country of Naboo, laughing and grinning at each other, they couldn't have chosen for a better way to spend their honeymoon with each other.   
  
However, no matter how unfortunate, happiness is only temporarily.


	16. Chapter Fourteen: Pre-ROTS

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the ONE chapter i said: screw canon, we're not revealing secrets like cowards here

  
One of the most entertaining things about being a married Jedi was acting like you and your spouse were just friends. Nothing more, nothing less. So when Opal and Obi-Wan returned to Coruscant and headed to the Temple to further Anakin's skill and earn him his Mastership, it was almost like they had never gotten married in the first place.   
  
If words of intimate encouragement could not be said in front of others, Opal signed it to him with her hands. She had learned long ago that Ben was fluent in multiple languages, so learning a new one was rather easy for him. There were almost no Jedi Masters who could read sign language.   
  
When Obi-Wan was called in front of the Jedi Council and given a solo mission to Atricus, it terrified her out of her wits. The last time he’d been on a mission alone was so long ago, and it unnerved her that something could happen to him without her there. ''Master Kenobi," Mace Windu spoke. "You have been selected for a mission to capture information on a Sith Lord who made contact with us."   
  
Obi Wan could sense the nerves creeping up in his wife as she fidgeted behind him. He knew what she was thinking: that this Sith Lord was her missing father. "Was there a recording or did the Sith make direct contact?"   
  
"He made direct contact, which we recorded." Opal's face paled as she turned from the Council to make for the door and leave. "Master Stone, I recommend you watch this too. Your name is mentioned."   
  
The younger woman slowly turned on her heel and held her breath as the holo was enlarged, and she found herself staring at a hooded Sith with eyes disturbingly similar to her father. "I know you are all looking for me.” He said darkly. “Especially Opal Stone. The one who just so happened to get married to your fellow Council Member, Obi-Wan Kenobi. True or false?"   
  
His unease was replaced with dread as all pairs of eyes in the room turned to regard him and his wife. Opal had bent over and braced her hands against her knees, eyes screwed tightly shut as to keep herself from passing out.

"Now, I have a secret to tell you all. I bet the Council likes secrets, given that secrets are all it's composed of." The Sith leaned in with a sadistic smile on his face. "Your Republic is being run by another Sith. That's why it's corrupt, because you are _oblivious_ to who is running your democracy.I will tell you everything you wish to know if you send Obi-Wan Kenobi to Atricus alone. Unless Opal is daring enough to follow." 

The recording cut out.

"Now, I want Obi Wan to go to Atricus and discover the identity of this Sith Lord. I believe he should go alone. If all goes wrong, we will send Anakin and Opal as a reconnaissance team. We will discuss the relationship between you two later. Any questions?"   
  
Opal shook her head at Mace Windu’s question and fled the room with Obi-Wan right behind her, both unaware of their Padawan lurking in the hall outside. Anakin immediately noticed the tears burning his Masters face and excused himself, catching the blonde woman in his grasps. "Opal, talk to me." He murmured, unaware of Obi Wan standing behind her. "What happened?"   
  
"They _know._ " She seethed. “We’ve gone this long without anyone questioning the nature of our relationship, Anakin. So tell me.. H-How do they know? _!_ "   
  
His stomach churned as he recalled his conversation with The Chancellor earlier that morning. He’s been asked where he’d been, and Anakin had mentioned something about a commitment he and Padmè has on Naboo. _He must've put it together._ "The-The Chancellor asked me where I had been.." He faltered, unsure of what to say for fear of his masters wrath. Opal had always had a much more difficult time reigning in her anger then Obi-Wan did. "I said on Naboo for a union of my two closest friends-"   
  
"Anakin, I suggest you attend to something in the Archives and get out of my _sight_.”   
  
Guilt clouded her brain as Anakin sprinted down the halls of the Temple and out of her sight. Obi Wan pressed a finger to his lips and lead his wife down the hall towards their old quarters, gently pushing her inside and locking the door behind him.

“I do not think he meant it, Opal-"   
  
"He is going to get us kicked out of the Jedi Order!" She cried out, gripping the end of her ponytail as she often did when she was overwhelmed. "If that boy could keep his mouth shut for five minutes-" Obi Wan wrapped his arms around the back of her shoulders and kissed her temple softly.   
  
"That boy just so happens to be our padawan.” He murmured. Obi-Wan bent his head to kiss the nape of her neck. “And even though arrogant, he is still our brother." Tears fell down her face as he held her in his arms. She often cherished his touch when he gave it, but something about this touch felt very final. "I will go to Atricus to greet this Sith Lord. I will return to you, my love."   
  
Opal had a nagging feeling in the back of her mind that whatever was waiting on Atricus was going to try to tear them apart. Or even worse, kill Obi-Wan. “Ben, please.” His eyes softened as Opal took his face into her hands. Gentle fingers carded through his beard as she whispered against his mouth. “Don’t leave me alone in this world.”   
  
Dark thoughts had been clouding Opals mind for days. There had been visions of her father standing over her mothers dead body along side Count Dooku.. Being taught the ways of the Dark Side. It was all just too much for her to handle.

“I made a vow.” He whispered in reply, smiling as she sank into the familiarity of his kiss. “For better for worse. That’s one I intend to keep. And as for our Padawan to be Knight, do not allow your anger to cloud your affection for him. You have grown so much since we were reunited on Naboo. I do not want you to fall apart again.”   
  
Opal sniffled and nodded, burying her face in his robes and inhaling the cologne she'd bought him months ago. Faint, but it reminded her so much more of him. Home. "I love you." She replied, watching with sad eyes as he called his lightsaber from the table into his hand. "Just say it. So I know."   
  
"I love you too, Opal Kenobi."   
  
That was the last time she saw Obi-Wan for nearly three weeks.   
  
When Anakin finally made a reappearance after days of meditation, he sought out Opal first before consulting the Council. The young man quietly opened the door to the Kenobi apartment and found his Master curled up on the sofa with Obi-Wan’s old robes pressed against her face. The sight made his heart ache. It reminded him so much of his love for Padmè. Unconditional. Flawed. Reckless.   
  
Anakin knelt down and ran his fingers through Opal's hair to rouse her from her sleep. "Ani?" She murmured sleepily, leaning into his touch as he cupped her face. "Hi sweetheart. You're the only person who's come to see me."   
  
"Well, I love you doofus." He breathed, smiling widely as a pleased smirk crept up onto her face. “What I said to use was unnecessary. I'm sorry I said anything about you and Obi-Wan at all. It was inappropriate and I will never speak to the Chancellor about you again. Even if my life were to depend on it."   
  
Opal swallowed down tears as she stared into the eyes of the man who had once been a boy, who had become _magnificent._ "I am so proud of you, Anakin." She whispered. "You are an incredible Jedi and an even better husband, and I am so glad to have been your mentor. So is Obi-Wan. Even though he is super critical of you, he loves you because you're his brother. We raised you."   
  
"He's going to come home, Opal." Anakin reassured. "I know you're scared-"   
  
"I just miss him _so much_. When he's not here, I can't sleep. I can't think, I can't breathe. I'm constantly plagued by nightmares and he's the only one who can keep them away." She tried to swallow down the tears in her eyes but found her skin damp from them anyway.   
  
"C'mon. Let me help you get to sleep."   
  
When Master Yoda and Windu entered the apartment later that night, they were perplexed at the sight in front of them. Their least favorite padawan, one shrouded in darkness, was fast asleep on the sofa with his arms around Opal Stone, who was curled up against his chest with her hand resting on his bicep. "Master Stone." Opal jumped at the sound of Mace Windu's voice and opened her eyes to find the Jedi Master staring at her. "We have news for you."   
  
She lightly poked Anakin's nose as he unwrapped his arms from around her, annoyed he'd been woken from such a blissful sleep. "Is Obi-Wan coming home?" Opal exclaimed, her heart joyful at the thought of her husband returning to her.   
  
The look on both Master Windu and Yoda's immediately turned her off. "We have received news from Atricus that Obi-Wan has been kidnapped." Her breathing hitched at the thought of Obi Wan stuck on a planet he knew nothing about, _dying._ Or worse, already dead. "We're sending the two of you to rescue him. Get your things."   
  
_Obi-Wan exited his starfighter and looked around the planet the Jedi Council had sent him to where the Sith Lord was supposed to be located. It was a very strange place for a criminal to be hiding. The image before him was a mixture of mountain ridges and shimmering crystal lakes, the only port in sight seeming to be over the next hill._  
  
 _Why would a Sith Lord be here?_  
  
 _"Oh Opal." He whispered, his eyes flicking down to the band on his finger as he twisted it back and forth. "I wish you were here with me. Might calm my nerves a bit."_  
  
 _The Master Jedi continued walking through the fields of Atricus, unaware of the dark presence lurking in the shadows behind him. Parker Stone was an extremely well trained Jedi and Sith, giving him the clear advantage over Obi Wan Kenobi. When he had heard the news from Lord Sidious of his daughters marriage, he had sent the recording to the Jedi Council in hopes to get Opal's husband alone to end him and have her be on the side she was destined to._  
  
 _Getting the edge on a Jedi was difficult when they relied so heavily on the Force, but Parker knew the ins and outs of both the dark and the light. He was smarter then the Jedi, smarter then the Sith. He could outwit Obi-Wan Kenobi. Parker crept up behind the Jedi and moved to outstretch his hand to call the lightsaber to his hand. Obi Wan whirled around and met the same pair of eyes Opal had cried at the sight of in front of him. "Hello, son in law." The Sith sneered, removing his robes to reveal a face of a man deeply scarred by the events of his past. "It's so nice to finally meet you."_  
  
 _Obi-Wan hadn’t been counting on the older man to use his size against him. He’d been training for occurrences such as this since he was three, and yet the Sith apprehended him rather easily once he was knocked out. He also wasn’t anticipating waking up screaming as a lethal substance to destroy the midichlorians in his cells was injected into his body._  


_He cried out the first name that came to mind behind gritted teeth. Black spots danced in his vision as the substance tore through his body, coursing through his veins and leaving nothing but pain behind._

_"O-Opal!!" Tears filled his eyes as his head was jerked forward and Ben met the angry green eyes of Parker Stone. "If your daughter comes to rescue me, she's going to kill you."  
  
"You see, Master Jedi, I used to be like you." Parker remarked, playing with the hilt of his newly handcrafted lightsaber. "A man in love with a beautiful woman who was my best friend. My wife Lorelei was stabbed by Count Dooku, and I felt unbelievable grief and guilt. I let my wife die because I was selfish. Now when I heard you married my daughter, it made me ANGRY. You have been marked as nothing but a failure since the day my brother took you under his wing as his Padawan. You let him die. Are you going to let the same happen to your own Padawan? To the Order you call a family? To your wife?” _  


The thought of failing Opal had crossed his mind a time or two. Failure was second nature for him. It was inevitable.   
  
_Obi-Wan gathered the spittle flecked with his own blood and spit directly in the Sith's face. "I know what you did to your daughter." He growled as Parker reared back in response. “And I know the pain you caused her. You don't have any idea-"  
  
He’d never forget the smile, or the malicious look in his eye, or the way he seemed so confident that torturing Obi-Wan would draw Opal away from Coruscant to rescue him and face her past. He only hoped she wouldn’t come alone. No one should have to face their demons alone._

 _“You have no idea, Master Jedi. I am prepared to make you feel the most pain you’ve ever felt in your life.” Parker moved to the panel beside the machine and inputted a code that brought forth the image of the outside of the base. Opal and Anakin had parked their ships beside his and were on their way to rescue him. “My daughter will not kill me to save you.” He was calm, cool. Assured. “But I might just kill you to save her."  
  
On that note, the Sith Lord left the Jedi attached to his machine, thrilled that he was soon to be reunited with his blood. If Opal was like him, she had been desperately ignoring the call from the Dark for years. It would just take some gentle coaxing on his part. _  
  
Opal started at the fields before her as she took a deep breath and tried to reel in her anger and her fear. Losing Obi-Wan. Confronting her father. She wanted so desperately to love the man who had raised her as a small child. The same one who shed thought of as a hero.   
  
But that was just another lie. Parker Stone was dead. The Sith had taken over the corpse of a once honorable man and turned him into something that went against everything she stood for. Everything she held most dear 

"Why are you afraid, Opal?"   
  
"Because someone is going to die today." She whispered, tears filling her eyes as they approached the base. "And I think it's going to be me."


	17. Chapter Fifteen:

**[SONG: JOHNNY CASH - HURT ]**  
  
Comfort. She needed comfort, something to keep her anchored to reality in order for this to go well. Fingers tightly laced with Anakins, she quietly entered the chamber where her father and Obi-Wan were. “Oh! Opaline,” She recoiled at the name as the Sith emerged from the shadows and the echo of her husbands screams rang in her ears. “I knew you’d come looking for your husband soon enough.” Parker Stones emerald green eyes flickered to Anakin who was still clutching his Masters hand. "Ah, the infamous Anakin Skywalker. I've heard alot about you."   
  
Anakin released Opal from his grasps and motioned to Obi-Wan with a flick of his wrist. "You, get your husband." He murmured as he ignited his lightsaber. "I'll deal with this fool myself." Parker clucked his tongue and curled his fingers, but Anakin was much faster then he was.   
  
"Oh, you're much more clever then I gave you credit for." He snarled. Opal was paralyzed as she studied the machine her husband was attached to. Her eyes swept across the blood that had congealed on his chest and the sweat beading on his brow. Blue eyes fluttered desperately in a poor attempt to keep them open. 

In the midst of a clash of sabers, Parker spoke. "Now, Opal. I brought you here to make a choice."   
  
Opal had half expected herself to weep at that point. Obi-Wan’s head shot up and his eyes met her own, so weak and so helpless. He had endured enough suffering during his youngling and padawan years. Constant rejection, a fear of failure... He wanted nothing more then to be the best of the Jedi Order. "I'm here now, _Father._ " She snarled, pulling her own lightsaber off of her belt and igniting it. "You wanted me. Now let Obi-Wan go."   
  
"The only way I could get you here was to try to kill him!" Her blood boiled as the Sith Lord brought his fist back and punched Obi Wan directly in the face, causing his head to jar to the other side. "And I'll give him credit, he is persistent."   
  
Opal lifted her chin to the ceiling to try and reign in her anger. Deep breath in. Deep breath out. “If you don't let him go, I’ll kill you myself.” She snapped. 

Her thoughts had been clouded with the temptation to succumb to the dark for weeks, and now she knew that **he** was responsible for it. "I will never join you. Just like I told Count Dooku I'd never join him. Remember him? The man you allowed to _slaughter_ my mother?!"   
  
In the midst of all her yelling, Opal was taking small steps toward Obi-Wan, her gaze focused on the lever of the machine on the control panel. If she just close enough... "I gave your mother _FREEDOM!_ " Parker snarled, his face reddened by his anger. "I freed her from the lie of servitude to the Jedi Order! How is _that_ slaughter?"  
  
Opal shook her head. Anakin was still preoccupied trying to distract her father, but it seemed that he was more set on provoking her. " _You_ were the one in the wrong, Parker. You left me to fend for myself as an initiate in the Temple. All the years I wasn't defending Obi-Wan, I spent wondering why you'd never come home. When your brother _died_ in our arms, I made a promise to the same man I made committed vows to." She gestured to Obi-Wan behind her, barely within fingertips reach. "Here's the truth of the matter. You are as corrupted as the Jedi Council." Opal tilted her head. "I have a question, old man. Who are you?"   
  
"Parker Stone."   
  
Fury bubbled within her as she turned her back to Obi-Wan, who she was now close enough to that he could lay his head against her shoulder. "No. _Wrong._ I said who are you?"   
  
"I AM YOUR FATHER!"   
  
Opal swallowed the knot growing in his throat as she turned around and cradled his face in her hands. Her fingertips gently ghosted over the lines in his face and the trembling muscles of his shoulders and neck. She gripped his chin in between her fingers and lifted weary eyes to meet her own.

She hoped her words were heard through the Force bond they'd created when they were children. 

_I love you. I love you so much._

_I'm sorry._

"No. You're not Parker Stone anymore." She turned to face the hooded Sith Lord. "Parker died the same time his child did. My innocence died with my father."   
  
Before Opal could react, her lightsaber flew out of her hand and landed on the table. _You fool. He doesn't want to kill you, he wants you to join him._

"You just don't get it do you?" Parker asked. Despite the fact that she was looking at Obi-Wan, Opal could feel the mock sympathy radiating from the man who occupied the corpse of her father. "You have been ignoring your call, your _destiny_ , to the Dark Side. You've been doing that since I left the Order, sweet Opal-" 

Opal winced. "You don't have the right to call me that."   
  
Parker jabbed a thumb at Obi-Wan as he watched his daughter tenderly caress his face. "This _man_ is the reason you haven't embraced your calling! He reeks of fear and self loathing, of failure to do what needs to be done. Obi-Wan Kenobi is a dog bred to follow orders!" He exclaimed. Opal tilted her head as Obi Wan gasped, whimpering as the lethal substance was injected into his body once more. She waved her hand towards the control panel and sighed in relief as the machine powered down. "Do you believe that he truly loves you? With everything you have done?" 

"What have I done?!" She snapped. "Everything that ever happened to me was instigated by _you!_ Obi-Wan was the reason I didn't succumb to death all those years ago, a mere ten year old girl abandoned by her supposedly dead parents. I became a Jedi to help keep the peace. We're peace keepers. My mother _wanted_ better things for me, she didn't want me to succumb to the darkness to follow in the footsteps of my father. There's nothing there for me but hatred. I love this man because he was the one who was there when you weren't. He's seen the worst and the best of me." She looked to Ben fondly over her shoulder. He probably wouldn't even remember the majority of this altercation. "And he loved me anyway."   
  
" _Opal-_ " Obi Wan pleaded weakly. His muscles had grown so tired. They could not take much more of bone-deep exhaustion. "Please my love, don't _let_ him-"   
  
Realization dawned upon her as she felt her father's fingertips ghost over her shoulder. The only way Anakin and Obi-Wan would be leaving this room was if: She went with Darth Decious, or she killed him. Opal didn't think she could kill the man who had once been her father. 

"I love you, Obi-Wan Kenobi." Her husbands eyes widened as she pressed her lips against his own chapped ones for a very bitter sweet last kiss. She didn't move away until Anakin curved around her to remove his restraints. Darth Decious wouldn't argue as long as she complied. "Run."  
  
Opal could only keep a facade of strength as long as she didn't look at Obi-Wan. She could feel his confusion, his anger, his fear seeping into their bond through the Force. "Opal," Obi-Wan pleaded as he fell from his chains into Anakins arms. "I can't- I _can't_ -" 

She knew the end of that sentence. _I can't fail you like every other person I've ever cared about. I can't fail you._

"I'm coming home, my love." She murmured softly. Opal wasn’t sure if she’d be able to forget the expression of pure fear and anguish that permeated his aspect in that moment. "Believe me, Obi-Wan. _Believe_ me. Just promise me something." Anakin grunted as he took Obi-Wan into his arms and had him lean all of weight against his shoulders.   
  
When she recognized that fear in his eyes -that fear of losing and failing- part of her died in that moment. He’d been harboring that feeling since they were initiated in the Order. So much for keeping promises.   
  
"Anything-"   
  
"Wait for me.” Opal turned away from her husband and Padawan. "I will join you, Darth Decious." The Sith smiled as his daughters eyes darkened. "I will accept my calling into darkness."   
  
He extended his hand towards her. All she had to do was take a step forward and grab his hand. All she had to do was succumb. “Join me, my daughter."  
  
Anakin felt fear knot his stomach as Opal's hand flew outward, calling her lightsaber to her hand. Obi-Wan stiffened against his padawan as he watched his wife press the blade of her weapon against her fathers neck.

Anakin had never once been afraid of what Opal was capable of. He had never been the one saving her from herself. That had been Obi-Wan. 

"Did you really believe I would join you?" She snarled in his ear, smirking as blood trickled down her fathers neck under the pressure of her blade. "I remember a time when you had been a good father. Parker was my hero as a child. But you?” She clucked her tongue. “You are just the villain."  


Anakin thought her father would’ve been able to apprehend her, but he could recognize the flicker of her father presence in the eyes that stared back at him. Yellow -like the other Sith- but fearful. Opal was a lot stronger then he gave her credit for. “You, Darth Decious, are a plague on this world. Have fun in the darkness.”   
  
Obi-Wan winced. Parker’s words reverberated through his mind as he watched the blade cut through the vertebrae and his head roll across the floor.   


" _Believe me, Obi Wan Kenobi. I'm going to make you feel the most pain you've ever felt in your entire life._ "   
  
That was it. He'd done it. Obi-Wan had failed at keeping his wife away from the dark. His heart shattered as Opal dropped the lightsaber and stepped away from the body of her father, oblivious to the utter horror that was written across their faces.  


"Opal.” Opal heard it in his voice. Disappointment. The wife of Obi Wan shot up and met her husbands glassy eyes. "What have you done?"   
  
_I hurt myself today  
To see if I still feel  
  
_"He-He was going to _kill you!_ " She shrieked, glancing down at her trembling hands coated in the blood of her father. "I've already lost myself, Obi Wan. That doesn't mean I can't save your life instead." Both men flicked as she held her lightsaber out offensively in front of her, brown eyes wide with fright. "Dear God, what have I _done?_ "   
  
_I focus on the pain  
The only thing that's real_  
  
White noise. Opal felt her vision fade in and out, body swaying back and forth as she could not tear herself away from Obi-Wan and Anakin. There was a rift between them and she was unwilling to drag them both over the edge. 

"Opal-"

Before either man could react, Opaline Kenobi had shed her Jedi robes coated in the blood of her father and fled the room, leaving both her lightsaber and her husband behind.   
  
"Why aren't you going after her?!" Anakin snapped, kneeling down in front of his Master who had sunk to his knees. "T-That is your _wife!_ "   
  
Obi-Wan shook his head as he tightened his grip on his knees. The exhaustion brought upon by the torture seeped into his bones, shook his fingers and made his head spin. "Anakin, I have failed her as a husband.” He replied. “I must allow her to fall before picking her back up again." Anakin Skywalker swallowed down both the hatred and guilt that coursed through his veins as tears burned his bright blue eyes.   
  
He gestured towards the door. "I-I _miss her-_ " Anakin choked out, gripping the ends of his hair as he helped his Master to his feet. Obi Wan was eerily silent as they began walking out of the tombs they'd been held in. The same place where he had lost himself.   
  
"Now you have a reason to come back to me, my darling." The Jedi Master murmured, kissing his gold wedding band and setting it down on top of her red Jedi robes. His fingers closed around the hilt of her hand crafted lightsaber, abandoning his own as he left the premises with his padawan.   
  
When the authorities of Atricus were called, the only evidence they found was the mutilated body of a dead man, and the robes of a woman who was planning on never being found.   
  
The gold band was gone, and Opal Kenobi was running faster then she had ever run in her entire life.   
  
Away from the Jedi Order.  
Away from her padawan.   
And away from the man she loved.   
  
_What have I become  
My own sweetest friend  
Everyone I love  
Goes away  
In the end_

_And you can have it all_

_My empire of dirt_

_I will let you down_

_I will make you hurt_


	18. Chapter Sixteen: Revenge of the Sith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Opal and Obi-Wan start out in different places for this!

After watching Anakin and Obi-Wan depart from Atricus, Opal returned to the chambers where the body of her father rested. She had never thought herself capable of such a thing as murder, and then...

Her eyes fell on Obi-Wan's wedding band resting on top of her robes. She heard the words through their muted Force bond that he'd whispered just before his departure. 

" _Now you have a reason to come back to me._ "  
  
Opal bent down to retrieve the band and his lightsaber which he lad left in place of her own, attaching them to her soiled robes before she ultimately decided to leave Atricus forever. "I might be alive, but I'm dying." Opal whispered, pressing her back against the wing of her ship she'd parked besides Anakins earlier that day. Both of her boys were long gone. Her fingers lightly tapped R6-D6, her droid Obi Wan had gifted to her for her birthday last year.   
  
So she ran. She didn't care where she was going, who went by, or who she met. Opal knew one thing: She just had to stay alive. She had to fight the urge to fully succumb to the Dark, to fulfill the destiny her father believed she had for her. For Obi-Wan's sake.   
  
_______________________________________

Months pass by without so much as a rescue attempt to retrieve his wife. Obi-Wan had spent _so_ much of his life with Opal that it proved to be difficult to learn how to live without her. He put on a bravado for the Council and did as he was told, but solitude often brought pain. When Anakin returned him to the Jedi Temple after the events on Atricus at the start, he suggested veering away from the prying eyes of the other Jedi Masters for the time being.

Obi-Wan wasn't going to listen to _suggestions._ He was adamant that the others who sat on the Council with him knew of the sacrifice she had made to save his life. "Master Kenobi, we were beginning to think you wouldn't return to us." Master Windu smiled warmly as he and Anakin entered the Council Chambers where a meeting had just adjourned. "I am pleased to see you alive."   
  
"With all due respect, Master Windu." Obi-Wan said sharply. "You sent _Anakin_ and _Opal_ on this rescue mission to retrieve me from the Sith Lord on Atricus. Anakin prevailed.. but dare I ask. Do you see Master Stone anywhere?" When Mace shook his head, Obi-Wan continued. "If you deem it necessary, I will more then willingly leave the Jedi Order for the truth." Anakin's eyes widened beside him as he realized what he was about to do. "Darth Decious was right about one thing. I am married to Opal, _your_ previous Padawan. We were married in the back country in Naboo where no other soul was present. Do you see her here in her rightful spot beside me, where she is supposed to be?!" Master Windu stiffened at the raise of his voice, his eyes narrowed as Obi-Wan turned his attention to Kit Fisto and Aayla Secura, who were standing behind him with Master Yoda and Plo-Koon. He could see the heartbreak in the Kel Diors face. "She accompanied Anakin to rescue me and was forced to kill Darth Decious to save _my_ life. Parker Stone is dead at the hand of his daughter. Where she has gone..." His voice faltered as he gazed out at the nightlife of Coruscant just beyond the window. "I have no idea. I just wanted to inform you myself instead of through my report how much your most honorable and your most valiant Jedi Knight has sacrificed. Opal Stone was a phenomenal woman and the best of wives. Put _that_ in your report."   
  
Anakin followed hot on the heels of his Master as Obi-Wan fled the room and beelined back for their shared quarters. The space felt rather cold and empty without Opal there to warm it with her domesticity. To distract himself from the reality of his situation, Obi-Wan buried himself in Sith lore and reports for The Council once they were wiling to take him back on it. Many of his nights were restless, spent tossing and turning in his bed before sleep evaded him and he made his traditional cup of tea. Opal's presence slowly faded from his quarters, and he felt as he had in the days after Qui-Gon had died. 

Empty.

Obi-Wan knew she was still alive. Despite the fact that she had muted their bond so he wouldn't be able to find her, he could still feel the pulsation of her presence through the Force. He felt her when he was alone in their quarters. He felt her when Anakin met him to spar in the training room and he threw all rationality and finesse out the window and settled for brute strength and speed in each attack he delivered to his Padawan. Anakin continued to grow closer to The Chancellor as he spent more time at the Senate, but he was never too far out of sight of Obi-Wan. Opal would've wanted him to take care of his Master. She would've wanted to guard his heart.  
  
They were called to the Council Chambers one random afternoon after a few months since Atricus, despite Obi-Wan's chagrin. Mace and Yoda were the only ones present. "You know, Master Kenobi.. You should be kicked out of the Order. That's actually what the Council voted for-" Obi-Wan swallowed the knot in his throat. "But Yoda's vote about your removal turned the tide, as did mine. You are asked to remain." He breathed a sigh of relief as his comrade stood to his feet. "You are an honorable man who married an equally honorable woman. She is the closest thing I have to a daughter outside of Depa, and I do not believe anyone else would be capable of bringing her home except _you_."   
  
"Feel guilt, you must not." Yoda spoke softly but firmly from his spot behind Master Windu. Obi-Wan lifted his head from where he and Anakin knelt on the floor before the Grand Master. "Return, your wife will. Much faith in her, I have. But attachment, you must break. Cloud your vision, it does."   
  
Obi-Wan had been through so much in past months that even thinking about annulling his marriage with Opal made his head spin. "With all due respect Master Yoda." He replied. "If my wife is still alive, I will not sabotage my marriage to continue as a Jedi. She has made me a better Jedi by being with me, and I her. If I must hand over my saber to remain married to the woman I love, so be it." 

Windu held up his hand to push the younger mans weapon towards him. "Don't give me your saber, Kenobi. I'll speak to Yoda more in depth about your affiliations with Opal. For now, you and your Knight have more important matters. Taking out Grievous and his ship remains the top priority." He straightened his spine. "Dismissed." Anakin smiled coyly at his Master as they left the room and began walking in the direction of the hangar. He had been thrilled when ranked to the position of Jedi Knight the same week Opal had gone missing, but also angry that they still refused to make him a Master despite excelling in almost every skill a Jedi had to offer.   
  
Opal would've fought for him.  
  
"I found something you might want to see, Master." Obi-Wan quirked an eyebrow as Anakin reached into the pockets of his robes and produced his datapad. The Master Jedi smirked as his eyes read over one single word written across the scren. A message. _Soon._ "Do you think it's her? I do. Totally seems like something she would do."   
  
"I do not know." He ran his fingers over the beard at his chin. _Force_ , he needed to trim it. "But if I know my wife, she's out there somewhere. She's still fighting, still breathing, still waiting for me to emerge and rescue her." They met each others eyes. "It's a good thing I have a reckless Jedi Knight to accompany me." 

"You're going against the Council's desires?!" 

Obi-Wan had been told since the _day_ he'd come back to let Opal go. That was the Jedi way, to forego attachments. He was told to let her go and to never think about her again because his duty came first above all else. His duty to the Jedi Order, his duty to Anakin. 

"Yes, I am." He replied. "It's also a good thing that same Jedi Knight has always taught me to fight for the one I love."

________________________________________________  
  
When you're fighting your own inner darkness, it's like grasping out at nothing when everything is coming at you at one time. Darkness and demons and _anger_ and _guilt._ That was what her life was. It wasn't living, it was _existing._ Opal Stone believed she was meant for more then this, for more than simply existing as a Sith onboard the ship of the Master she'd been given months beforehand. She'd stopped counting when she realized the Council wouldn't send Obi-Wan to rescue her. They'd tell him to let her go. 

Opal growled beneath her breath as a battalion of droids marched past, making their way towards General Grievous quarters down the hall behind her. She had been stuck on this god forsaken Separatist ship since completing her training and had been battling her mind ever since. Count Dooku was thrilled whenever she'd come on board for his guidance.  
  
The woman she'd been before Atricus writhed within her, desperate to pull herself back to the Light side of the Force. Opal was resilient enough to remain, but Darth Zannah had seen her potential and ran with it farther then Opal had ever dared to go. 

She heard his voice in the solitude of her quarters. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi. The Negotiator.

" _Now you have a reason to come back to me."_  
  
 _"I cannot fail you like every other person I have ever cared about. I cannot fail you as I did Qui-Gon, as I have with Anakin. Not you."_  
  
 _"I love you."_  
  
Her visions of Obi-Wan were recurring. He was always alone, as she was, desperate and lost as he tried to seek her out. To keep her away from all the problems and trials the world threw at the two of them. The harder she fought to evade him, the more she forgot about how he'd changed her. How half their lives had been spent trying to avoid this very thing. 

The Count entered The General’s Quarters and cast his eyes upon her."Darth Zannah, there are two Jedi Knights here." He proclaimed. "Do your duty, protect the Chancellor. Eliminate The Jedi.”   
  
Chancellor Palpatine had been on board since having been captured. It was only a matter of time before The Jedi Order came to rescue him and return him to the Republic. The Sith drew her lightsaber she'd been given when she'd started as an apprentice from her belt. The blade that belonged to Obi-Wan never left the security of her robes. Neither did his wedding ring, attached with hers on a chain locked around her neck.   
  
Poised in front of The Chancellor, her eyes narrowed when two men entered the room and froze at the sight of her. " _Opal?_ " The younger one, an attractive young man with pale blue eyes and brown curls called out. They'd searched tirelessly for her and had come up empty. 

Until now.

"Opal, it's me. It's Anakin." Pale Eyes said. His gaze swept across her hooded form and the white knuckles wrapped around the hilt of her saber. "You raised me. I'm practically your brother.” Memories of a little boy tucked away in her arms huddled away from the storm breaking outside Coruscant resurfaced. The same little boy held her hand as she watched her uncle burn to ashes in front of her. 

"I didn't raise _anyone._ " She snarled. "You two are enemies to the Separatists. I must do my duty." 

"We are your _boys._ That was what you used to call us before your heart took you away from us. Your love for _him_ ," Pale Eyes gestured to the man still standing on the balcony behind him. "Is what brought you here to this place. You are torn between loyalty and love and it's _hard_ , but we've come to bring you back where you belong. To _who_ you belong." 

Her heart pounded frantically as the man on the balcony descended the steps and stood only mere feet in front of her. 

" _Opal_." His voice sent shivers down her spine as he approached. "I knew it-I knew you were still alive." Obi-Wan cautiously approached his wife who was watching him with narrowed brown eyes. "It's me sweetheart. I'm your husband." Anything facade of strength dissipated the moment he saw her. His heart was much more tender then the Jedi typically allowed. "You are so much better then they've lead you to believe. This _person.._ This isn't you." 

She gasped as pain at her temples crippled her enough to bend over at the waist, fingertips clutching her head as another memory resurfaced. 

_They'd only been married a few weeks when Obi-Wan had stumbled into the bedroom while Opal had been changing. She yelped at the crash that resounded behind her as she turned to face her husband who seemed to be rather disoriented. "I don't think I've ever seen you like this." She chided. "Are you drunk?"_

_He held up his finger and thumb at a small distance. "Maybe," He replied. "Just a little bit."_

_Opal clucked her tongue and made a mental note to scold Anakin for it later. A drunk Jedi Master was not something to joke about. "Obi,” She whispered as he knelt in front of her, blue eyes pleading as he gripped her tunic in his hands and buried his face in her belly as he rolled it up to her hips. "Are you alright, sweetheart?"_   
  
_"I need you. I want you. I love you **.** " She shivered as his lips brushed against her skin in the ghost of a kiss. "You are my jewel. Too precious to lose._"   
  
"I'm not going to fight you." Her breathing hitched as the two Jedi opposite of her tossed their lightsabers to the side in unison. She couldn't take her eyes off the one who had called himself her husband. "You are and have always been my reason for breathing."   
  
Anakin turned towards the Chancellor as both his and Opals eyes shifted upward to the balcony where the Count was standing flanked by two battle droids. "Count Dooku." Opal stepped behind the Chancellor as Obi-Wan met her eyes, cupping her face in his hands and brushing a kiss against her forehead.   
  
"Stay behind me _._ " He whispered. Her heart melted at the familiar words as he took a few steps away from her and beamed at the Chancellor with that stupid, smug grin. "Chancellor Palpatine. Sith Lords are our speciality."   
  
"You, Darth Zannah, have failed me as a Padawan. I am quite disappointed that the heads of these Jedi are not rolling yet." Count Dooku remarked, sighing as his lightsaber ignited. "No wonder you were so much like your uncle. Attachment was and will always be your downfall. Now you will watch and see what a _real_ Sith Lord does to Jedi."   
  
Her stomach turned as the three men jumped into a fight, one she knew that if she entered she wouldn't come out of. Her eyes never parted as she watched the grace behind each move in how Obi-Wan fought the fallen Jedi. "Get him, Obi-Wan." She whispered. Opal's fingers grazed the hilt of the lightsaber hidden in her robes as she watched her boys fight her "master."   
  
_This is the man you claim to love? He left you alone on Atricus with nowhere to turn. He didn't even try to save you. What kind of man is that?_  
  
A scream built up inside her throat as the Count force choked her husband and threw him across the room, knocking him unconscious as his body hit the floor. The anger of Darth Zannah dissipated as Opal Kenobi surged outward to kneel beside the body of her husband and pull him into her lap. "Oh. You _idiot._ " She murmured, holding his face in her hands. "I'm sorry." 

Anakin couldn't help but smile when he saw Opal run to his Masters side and hold his body in her arms. "You know Opal," He called out, grunting underneath the force of the lightsaber opposite him. "When we boarded, both of us thought you were too far gone to be drawn back into the Light. Mostly me. I was wrong." Pale eyes met her gaze. " _So_ wrong. I'm sorry." 

She was incredibly proud of the man who stood before her. He had matured so much since she had begun training him, proving himself to be a far better Jedi then she or Obi Wan could ever be. "If you kill him, Anakin-" Her eyes widened as Count Dooku's severed hands fell to the ground and Anakin held the Sith Lord at point with a blue and red lightsaber held at his neck. "It'll be the beginning of a path you won't be able to come back from."   
  
"What does she know, Anakin? She's just a woman."   
  
Chancellor Palpatine infuriated her more and more every single time he opened his mouth. The man was manipulative, conniving, and she knew if Anakin continued to remain as close to him as he was, the ruler of the Republic would try to turn him against her. Against The Jedi. "I watched that _woman_ kill her own father to save another life." Anakin replied, staring at the Chancellor with dark eyes. "Killing you would bring us closer to the end of this war.. but I shouldn't do this. It's not the Jedi way."   
  
"Do it."   
  
She shouldn't have cringed when the lightsabers cut through vertebrae as they had with her father and the Counts head rolled on the floor. She shouldn't have looked so horrified by the fact that Anakin had killed someone in front of her, but she was. "The only reason I did _that_ was so you could be free of _this._ Of that darkness you think you deserve. You don't!" Anakin exclaimed. "Come back to the Temple with Obi-Wan and I. Explain what happened. Seek your redemption. I know it's what you want."   
  
"What is left for me on Coruscant, Ani? A forbidden love to a man who happens to be apart of a dictatorship?" Obi Wan stirred in her arms but remained unconscious as she stroked her fingers through his hair. "Acting as if my marriage is non-existent just to comply with the ways of the Jedi? That's not a life. That's _prison._ "   
  
''You can stop existing. You can learn how to _live._ You get to live a life in the Jedi Order married to a man who nearly gave up his authority and everything he has ever known when they told him to leave you." Tears gathered in her eyes as she pressed a hand to her mouth to silence her cries. "He nearly left the Jedi Order for you, Opal. I have never seen him more conflicted then he was in the months after Atricus. He wanted to leave. He should've." A pregnant pause ensued. "Master Windu knows about your union, but cares about you too deeply to kick you both out of the Order. That stunned me, given how much he adheres to the Code."   
  
The truth of the matter was this: Opal was absolutely terrified to return to Coruscant. The Jedi didn't condone murder or treason, which she had done both of. After the authorities had fled the site of her fathers death, Opal had spent several days meditating. After becoming Mace’s Padawan, he’d taken careful consideration to the fact she needed to learn how to identify shatterpoints in the Force.

All she was in The Force was exactly what she had been anticipating - visions of war, the death of Padmé, and the fall of the Jedi.

It all started with her Padawan.

"Okay, Skywalker. You've convinced me." She mused. "I'll come back with you." Anakin grinned as he knelt beside her and kissed her cheek. "I have to be honest.. I'm scared."

"Not to fret, Mrs. Kenobi. Fear is just a drug that enhances your superpowers. I'm afraid all the time." He wiggled his brow at her to distract from the reality of his statement as he checked Obi-Wans pulse. "He seems to be alright." 

"Leave him, or we'll never make it!"   
  
Opal growled beneath her breath as she stood up along with Anakin, one of Obi-Wan's arms hung loosely over her shoulder. "Shut up. Shut _up_." She snapped, jabbing a finger at the Chancellor. "I've already left him once. Don't think I'm about to do it again."   
  
"If it weren't for Skywalker, you'd still be on the dark side, Kenobi." Palpatine growled in response. He loathed the blonde woman in front of him because she simply _knew_ too much. Had she been his apprentice, Anakin would've never pulled her back into the Light. 

If he couldn't have Opal, he was sure going to take Anakin. One way or another.


	19. Chapter Seventeen:

When Obi-Wan awoke clinging to the body of his padawan, he thought that everything that had happened with Count Dooku was a dream. The anxiety brewing in his stomach when he'd seen Opal standing in front of the Chancellor wearing the face of Darth Zannah had made him think she was gone forever.  
  
Opal was very reluctant to speak with Anakin laughing beside her with her husband unconscious on his back. She kept having that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that the two of them were going to push her away the second they got back to Coruscant. With everything she'd done, why wouldn't they? It wasn't like she was innocent. She had slaughtered her own father and the residents of Atricus too simply because she was angry.  
  
She grunted as the four of them flew through an open door and tumbled into a separate hallway that led back to the main control room of the ship. Her fingers shook as she wrapped them around Obi-Wan's arm and pulled her towards him. His blue eyes glistened as she lifted her head. "Hi." Opal murmured.  
  
Her heart pounded frantically as she waited to hear those three words that would be the proverbial knife in the heart. _I'm leaving you._

"Opal."

There was so much acceptance, so much _relief_ behind the way he said her name. A silent cry left her lips as the Jedi fell to his knees with his wifes arms wrapped tightly around his neck. "My sweet Opal Kenobi. I missed you _._ " Tears ran down her cheeks as Opal cried while Obi-Wan ran his fingers through her hair.   
  
Opal could feel her chest constricting as it suddenly became incredibly difficult to breathe. Her sobs were muted by Obi-Wan's whispers in her ear. "I'm sorry." She gasped for air. "I-I- _let me go back._ I can't do this. I can't face them!"   
  
"If you think I'm about to leave you alone again, you are sadly mistaken." He whispered, gently tilting her chin upward to look into flickering yellow/brown eyes. One of the characteristics of a Sith was beady yellow eyes, and the ones staring at him were definitely not unnoticeable. "It took me months to even try to calm myself down after Atricus... And I almost left the Order. Twice."  
  
Anakin had mentioned in their time descending through the elevator shaft of the ship that he had worked himself so hard and had to be hospitalized because of it. No sleep, no self-care, nothing. He'd literally almost died for her. 

"Anakin told me what happened." She whispered. "How you worked yourself to death and had to visit The Hall of Healing because you forgot how to take care of yourself. You forgot how to live, and it almost killed you. Why would you do that to yourself?" 

Obi-Wan frowned. That wasn't a time he was keen on remembering. He ran his fingers along her cheekbones and jawline, their eyes never parting from each others.

"I-I am not worth saving! I'm not worth anyone's time anymore! You should've just _left_ me-"   
  
A gasp left her lips as Obi-Wan met her for a bruising kiss. Desperate fingers gripped the fabric of her tunic and traveled up her torso to thread through her hair, pulling her closer close closer until she could feel the ridge of his nose against her cheek. He was warm and alive and she was _safe_ and _loved_ and there was no better world then that. 

"When I met you, I never realized how much I would _rely_ on you." He whispered, resting his forehead against her own. "You're right. It did almost kill me. I cared more about finding you then I did anything else. I despised The Jedi Council when they told me to just let you go. I worked myself to the bone and was hospitalized after almost two weeks with no sleep. I would've died to find you. I'd still die for you because I _love_ you." He ran the pads of his thumbs against her cheeks only to find them wet. "Despite every instinct telling me otherwise, there has never been a time in my life where I haven't loved you."   
  
"Remember that time we met again after the attack when you were on your way to the Agricorp?" He nodded softly. "This is like that, the night you ran straight into my arms because that was familiar and you needed it. It was _safe._ I-I need help with this. I can't do it by myself." 

"That's all you need to ask." Obi-Wan said. The male Jedi nodded and wrapped his fingers through her own, turning back to Chancellor Palpatine and Anakin who was doing everything in his power to not grin like an idiot. "Skywalker, I'm gonna give ou three seconds before I smack that smirk off your face."   
  
Opal's heart soared when Anakin wrenched her into a tight hug. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you, Master. It's good to have you back."  
  
***  
  
General Grievous was the creepiest thing she had ever seen in her life. Opal merely stood back and watched as Anakin and Obi-Wan fought the B1 droids, curling her hand and snapping her fingers every so often to assist in tearing them apart.  
  
It was incredible to witness just how much Obi-Wan had improved on his skills since the last time she'd seen him. Anakin had too. Both men were much stronger then she'd ever anticipated them to be, and it often showed the most when they worked together. "Why are you not working with your husband and your padawan, Opal?" She growled underneath her breath, waving her hand at the two droids coming to restrain the Chancellor as she turned to him.  
  
"Do you ever just shut your mouth?" She retorted, lowering her robe to pull her lightsaber from it. The Chancellor's eyes widened as it flickered to life in a mirage of blue sparks. "Honest to God. Absolutely no one wants to hear you talk except the politicians and Anakin. I know _I_ don't."  
  
"I'm going to ask this again. Why are you not fighting beside your padawan and your husband?"  
  
She inhaled deeply and gripped her lightsaber with white knuckles, eager to punch the politician in the mouth. He always had something to say when it came to ridiculing her. "Because I'm afraid that if I use my lightsaber, my brain will go haywire and I'll kill not just one of them, but both of them. Are you happy with that answer, Chancellor?"  
  
His response was silenced as the two of them desperately tried to grip the wall to keep themselves from flying out of the main windows which had shattered. A grin crossed her face as Opal giggled, something so ridiculous but so utterly _her_ it brought joy to Obi Wan's ears when he heard it.

"Now THAT is podracing!"  
  
All they could do was burst into a fit of laughter as she buckled herself in beside Obi-Wan, who looked less then thrilled to be assisting in piloting the remains of a Separatist battleship down to the landing strip on Coruscant. Opal's eyes widened as she looked over the controls, fingers shaking as she began typing into the keypad in front of her.

"You gonna help me fly this ship back to Coruscant, Kenobi?" Anakin asked.   
  
Both Obi-Wan and Opal looked in Anakin's direction as he furiously began working at the controls. "If I'm gonna die, I might as well die stupidly. Let's go for it!""  
  
***  
  
When the transport doors finally opened to the doors of the Senate building, Opal was silently praying she could tag along with Anakin to avoid the inevitable with Obi-Wan. Going back to the Jedi Temple with Obi-Wan made her anxious because she knew everyone would just have more reason to hate her. Just like they always had.

"Are you coming, Master? Either of you?" Anakin asked.   
  
Opal nodded quickly as she made a move to step off the transport, but not before Obi-Wan gripped her wrist and pulled her back inside. "Oh no, I'm not brave enough for politics. I have to report back to The Council." Obi-Wan said. Anakins concerned blue eyes studied Opal as she covered her face with her hands and turned away from him. "For a multitude of reasons."  
  
"This whole operation was your idea! Well.. I had a very _tiny_ part in rescuing Opal, who happens to be _your_ partner."  
  
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and crossed his arms around Opal's hips. "You rescued everybody. Including me. Do I have to say anymore then that?" Opal snorted lightly and turned to look at her husband over her shoulder.  
  
"Don't inflate his ego, please ** _."_** She murmured, wiggling her eyebrows down at her padawan who stood on the loading dock with a questioning look on his face. "I don't want to have to deal with it. Go have your glorious day with the politicians, Skywalker."  
  
Anakin's eyes flickered to Obi-Wan who seemed to already know what he was thinking.

"Can I-"

The Jedi Master nodded, grinning as Anakin pulled Opal off the transport and held her in a tight hug with his face buried in loose blonde waves. "I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see you here again Opal." He said quietly. "Alive and breathing.. that's all I ever wanted. Not to mention that I get to see Master Obi Wan so happy again.. It's a sight to witness."  
  
The blonde woman stood on her tiptoes and lightly kissed the scar he'd obtained in the time she had been missing. "I'm glad to be back to, Ani. I missed you. Both of you." She said softly in reply. He flashed her his famous wink before jogging in the direction of the Chancellor and Bail Organa, who were both heading into the Senate building.  
  
Confident in the fact they were now alone, Obi-Wan lightly pulled on her hips and guided her to sit in his lap. The tension in her abdomen gradually faded as he ran his hands across her stomach and buried his face in between her shoulder blades. "My love." He breathed in that sensual voice, brushing her hair aside to lay deep kisses on the column of her neck. Opal shivered at the intimate contact but continued to allow him to touch her. "I can feel your fear, Opal.. And it's okay. You're allowed to be scared. I'm your husband. You will never be anything but safe with me."   
  
"I can't go back to the Temple, Obi-Wan. Not yet." She inhaled deeply and wiped the tears from her eyes before turning to face him. "I want to go visit Senator Amidala. Try to meditate and clear my mind from these dark thoughts."  
  
Being her husband and so _fiercely_ protective of her, Obi-Wan was reluctant to let her go alone to visit Anakin's wife. He knew how devastated Senator Amidala had been when she had been told of Opal's disappearance, and how long she had cried over the loss of a friend so dear to her heart. Seeing Padmè would most likely do his wife more good then harm. "I will come to retrieve you later tonight from Senator Amidala's apartment." He whispered, cupping her face in his hands and brushing his nose against her own. His heart jumped when her lips parted to reveal that same brilliant smile that ever made him fall in love with the first place. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too. Now go save the galaxy for me."  
  
He beamed at her as he stepped off the transport and jogged out of her sight into the Jedi Temple. Her heart warmed at the thought of being reunited with Padmè Amidala as the transport departed for the Senators apartment complex. When she arrived there, the sun was just beginning to set over the hills, coloring the sky in a rich gold and orange. "Opal?"  
  
The Jedi Master turned around in the elevator and nearly lost her composure when she saw Padme exit her bedroom followed by Anakin who briefly smiled at her. "Hi Padmè." She murmured, pressing her hands against her mouth as the two women began to sob together, relieved to be reunited. "I'm sorry-"   
  
"There were rumors that you had died." The Senator breathed, running her fingers through her friends hair. After what had happened on Geonosis and attending each others weddings, they'd become much closer. For her to lose her closest confidant was to lose part of herself. "I thought-"  
  
"I know. I'm sorry that I ever left the city. My trials were necessary in order for me to grow." Opal replied. Padmè lead her friend over to the sofa and sat across from her, twisting her ringlets around her fingers. It was rather obvious that she was reluctant to say whatever was on her mind. 

Opal closed her eyes and allowed all her worries to dissipate. When she did, The Force boomed around her and focused its light solely on Padme. Her force signature was _thriving._

"My dear.. are you with child?"  
  
She nodded eagerly. "I am." Padmè said. Opal's jaw dropped before her cheeks curved in a grin, a grin so wide that it hurt her cheeks but made her feel more alive then she had in _weeks._ Her best friend - the wife of her padawan - was going to bring a child into the world. "I'm glad you've come, Opal. I need to ask you something."   
  
"Anything Padme. I'll do anything."  
  
Senator Amidala slowly stood and moved to the opposite sofa, sitting beside her friend to clasp her hand in her own. "If anything were to ever happen to me, would you promise to take care of my baby? You and Obi-Wan together?" Hearing the words thrilled her, but that same dark feeling in the back of her head returned when she saw the fear lurking in Padme's eyes. Something was coming, and it was going to tear not only her apart, but Padme Amidala-Skywalker as well.  
  
"Don't you worry, Padmè." The younger woman blushed as Opal's hands reached forward to softly settle on her protruding stomach covered by a satin nightgown. "I will be in this family until the end of me."


	20. Chapter Eighteen:

When Opal returned to their apartment later that night, she found Obi-Wan waiting for her in the den. The Jedi Master was sprawled in front of the fire in his tunic, feet bare and arms tucked behind his head. According to what Padmè had told her, Obi-Wan had been through quite an ordeal while she was gone and had endured... well, a lot. She was still waiting for him to talk about it. "Hello darling." He murmured, grinning as she shed her boots and robes upon entry. "C'mere."  
  
"What's this?" Opal murmured as she laid on her side beside him, welcoming the scent that clung to his skin and the smoke from the fire into her nose. She had not felt so safe in such a long time. Being with him made her feel at home. "Is this a date?"  
  
"If that’s what you want to call it.” He mused. “A certain woman told me I tend to be a hopeless romantic behind closed doors." A soft sigh escaped her lips as she laid her head back and focused on the calloused palm sliding up her leg to curve around her hip. She was wearing a similar tunic to his, but she found in that moment that he rolled over and planted himself beneath her legs that she just wanted to feel more. “Sh... my love. I can sense your fear.” He bent down and rolled her tunic to her hips. “Breathe. I will not hurt you.” 

That was the thing. She knew he would never hurt her. He’d rather have died first, but the darkness lingering at the corners of her mind was attempting to suffocate her. It wanted her to believe he’d hurt her to break them apart, to destroy their marriage and draw her back to the dark. Her father was right, it had been calling her. 

Obi-Wan was kissing closer and closer to the place she desired him most. Closer, closer...  
  
 _Darth Zannah let out a frightened, blood curdling scream as Count Dooku lifted her with the Force and slammed her body so hard against the wall it caused her to see black spots in her vision. "Pathetic. **"**_  
  
“Be with me, Opal.” He crawled back up her body and met her gaze. His eyes had never been more clear or more vulnerable then in that moment of intimacy with his wife in their home, where he often allowed his stoic facade that the Jedi Order had thrust upon him at a young age fall. He loosely gripped her chin and turned wide brown eyes to meet blue.   
  
Opal tilted her head. She slowly lifted her hand and dragged her fingertips across the apple of his cheeks, over his brow and around his eyes. Obi-Wan exhaled shakily as her fingers stopped against his chin and her thumb ran across his lip. She pulled her own between her teeth, painfully aware of the yearning pooling low in her belly as she raked her fingers through his hair and lightly tugged on it. 

The moan she elicited curled her toes. 

"Obi." Opal whispered. "No more talk about what our reality is, or the Jedi Council or the war. Ignore your inner voices telling you this is wrong, that _we_ are wrong, and kiss me." 

It started gentle, just as their relationship did when they met as children. Gentle and warm, open and inviting. Obi-Wan linked his fingers behind her neck and cupped her head in his hands. After being on the front lines of a war that they really had no business fighting, Obi-Wan Kenobi was _tired_ of maintaining his facade of Jedi Master and General Kenobi, and sometimes he just wanted to come home and be _Ben._ He was tired of fighting his internal conflict of The Code versus the love for the women beneath him. The same woman he'd been fighting to be with since she'd come storming into his life at ten years old. 

" _Ben._ " She whispered into his mouth. Her fingers ran beneath his tunic and up his abdomen until they brushed against the ridge of a scar, and Obi-Wan stiffened beneath her touch. "That doesn't feel like a normal scar. It feels like a burn," Swallowing the knot in his throat, Obi-Wan lifted his arms and allowed her to remove the tunic. Her eyes softened at the whip marks that stretched across his back, ragged and red and relatively new. "Where did this come from?" 

"Zygeria." He spoke alot quicker then she thought he would. "The Council sent Anakin, myself, his former Padawan and my Clone Captain to Zygeria to pose as slaves. It.. um.." He screwed his eyes tightly shut, desperate to block out the memories of being forced into submission at the hands of the Zygerians. It was not something he was keen on reliving. "I've been angry, I've been so enveloped in my anguish and my suffering... but that-" 

"You don't have to say anything until you're ready." She whispered. "I can sense your Darkness. Your Force signature... It's in turmoil." He bowed his head to rest it against hers. " _You_ are in turmoil, Obi-Wan. And despite the fact you think you can handle it all on your own, you can't. Please don't try to." 

She winced as water fell on her cheeks, and she realized that _he_ was crying. 

"Opal." His voice was hoarse as he kissed her, again and again, like he was the balm to his ache. " _Opal_ , tell me. Tell me so I know, so I know I haven't failed you like I failed Anakin and Qui-Gon-" 

The smile she gave him was so full of love that he realized he wanted nothing else. "I love you, Obi-Wan." 

"And I pray it be truth." 

Silence ensued as she closed her eyes, allowing herself to succumb to her exhaustion. That night, curled up in front of a dying fire with the love of her life, both Opal and Obi-Wan slept the best sleep the two of them had gotten in a very long time.  
  
***  
Anakin Skywalker quickly sped away from his council with Yoda to the meeting room where Obi-Wan was sure to be waiting for him. He noticed the conflict resonating from his Masters Force signature as soon as he entered the room, but Obi-Wan appeared to be unfazed on the outside. "You missed the report on the Outer Rim Sieges." He noted. The Padawan eyed his Master carefully. "In short, they're going very well."   
  
"You obviously are not as into it today as you normally are. What's troubling you?" Obi Wan ran a hand over his beard and turned the hologram table off.  
  
"The Senate is choosing to hand over more executive powers to the Chancellor today," He replied. "And I fear for Opal. I'm incredibly worried about her and am afraid to leave her alone. She is my priority above all else."  
  
"Isn't the Senate voting more executive powers to the Chancellor a good thing? It can only mean less deliberating and more action, you know." Obi Wan's eyes narrowed slightly as he curved around his padawan and began making his way for the stair case. “And as for Opal, you married a remarkable woman. She can withstand just about any tragedy.”   
  
"Be careful of your friend Palpatine, Anakin. For some reason, Opal does not trust him. He constantly ridicules her for the choices he makes, and according to her, he's extremely manipulative. She too sees the friendship the two of you have. As for me, I do not trust him either."  
  
"Be careful of what, Master?"  
  
"He has requested your presence." The two men walked up the stairs and paused in the doorway, watching other Jedis run through the hall on their heels of their Padawans, or talking in hushed tones about the news filtering around the Temple.  
  
"He didn't inform The Council as to why?" Anakin asked uncertainly. "That does not make much sense."  
  
"None of this makes sense, Anakin. It’s making me feel more uneasy then I already am." When the two Jedi exited the meeting room, they turned at the sound of a familiar whistle and found Opal Kenobi strolling up the hall looking completely different then she had the previous day. Refreshed with a vigor to her step and a fierce determination in her eyes. Obi-Wan, however, ignored all of that for the most shocking thing.

"Opal? _What did you do?_ "  
  
Opal frowned and glanced down at her appearance. "The only thing I did differently was cut my hair." Anakin stifled laughter as all the color left Obi-Wans face when she ran her fingers through her new collar length short hair. "Pick your jaw up, Kenobi. You're gonna catch flies." The female Jedi Master inhaled deeply, remembering the words she'd exchanged with her mother-  
  
Oh. Sorry. I must've skipped that part. Let's go back in time, shall we?  
  
 _Opal yawned as she woke from her deep sleep, frowning when she realized the lack of warmth that had been Obi-Wan curved around her the night before. "Obi Wan?" She patted the blanket beside her and picked up a crinkled slip of paper, a warm smile spreading across her face when she read what was written on it haphazardly. "You sentimental fool."  
  
 **Take it easy today. Rest is necessary to recover what you’ve been through. You were right.. We have both been through a lot, and that is something we will need each other to recover from.  
Padmè said she would be over sometime later. I will meet you later on this evening and we will have your favorite wine. Maybe we can dance too? xxoo  
  
Yours Forever,  
**Obi-Wan  
  
She decided to take the day to meditate on everything that had happened in her life since the downfall of her father on Atricus three months previous. Sitting cross legged on the love seat, Opal cleared her mind of all thoughts and focused solely on healing her wounded mind, soul, and spirit.  
  
Lorelei Stone was standing in the shadows of the morning, her arms crossed as she watched her daughter meditate inside the apartment she had grown up in. Opal had been through so much more then her mother had ever wanted for her and had still endured the worst of it. Her daughter was braver then she could've ever been. "Opal." She whispered. "Open your eyes."  
  
Qui-Gon and Master Windu had both told her about the afterlife of living in the Force and presence of Force Ghosts that wore the faces of people you held dearest to you. But she never expected it to be her mother, as young as the day she left forever, staring back at her. "M-Mom?"  
  
"Don't cry darling. You've already cried enough to last a life time." Lorelei murmured, chuckling as Opal stood and wiped the unshed tears from her eyes. "Your dad told me you got married. Is it to little Ben Kenobi? Quite a remarkable man with a compassionate heart."  
  
"Little Ben isn't so little anymore, mum. We've been married for less than a year but it feels like a lifetime." She lifted her eyes and winced when she saw disappointment lurking in her mothers brown orbs. "Are you mad at me? Is Dad? He has every-"  
  
"You ramble just as much as you did when you were 10, Opaline." Lorelei chided as she sat on the sofa across from the loveseat. "Your father is not angry with you. He is glad to be free from the darkness that surrounded him. He spoke of the darkness you fell into when he died and how you ran away from all you've ever loved."  
  
"I left my husband to embrace The Dark. My padawan is half the reason I even came back in the first place, but if I had to leave Obi-Wan behind alone it would've been like asking me to leave my heart behind for good. I couldn't do it." Opal confessed. "I am mortified of what I'm capable of. I can't even pick up a lightsaber without thinking I'm going to kill  
Anakin or Obi-Wan."  
  
"You have to let yourself feel it, Opal. One of the things I hated about being on the Jedi Council was the restriction of feelings. They're basically asking all of their Jedi to act like droids. Feeling emotions is apart of being human. You can't just ignore __them."  
  
"I have never felt a love so deep and unconditional for a man like Obi-Wan. He is.. he’s everything to me. He is compassion and empathy and peace and home. I want us to live out our lives as peacekeepers of the Republic like we were during The Clone Wars. I want to be a Jedi and I want to love.” She paused and lifted her head to meet her mother’s tender gaze. “I don’t know what to do Mom.” _  
  
_Lorelei took a deep breath before standing to her feet and reaching out to grasp her daughters fingers but finding that her comforting touch had turned void. She couldn't even touch her daughter. "You are stronger then your past Opal. You must not dwell on what has happened. Think about what's coming." A breathtaking smile crossed the mothers face as she saw softness seep into her daughters features. "Your best friend is having her first baby. You're a Jedi Master. You're married to one of the most incredible men I've ever met. You're alive, breathing, and healthy. If that is not a life worth living, I don't know what is."  
  
Realization dawned upon the Stone daughter as she stood and blew a kiss to her mother. "I'm glad I have you, Mum." Lorelei snorted lightly as her daughter studied her up and down, winking at her appearance. "And for having been gone so long, you've aged with grace."  
  
"You have your father's humor. And his sarcasm too." The two women shared a brief glance before Lorelei's image began to flicker. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too." _  
  
Opal straightened her light fitting tunic and lifted her head to meet Obi-Wan's dumbfounded expression and a hysterically laughing Anakin who had braced himself against his knees to keep his composure. "I had a conversation this morning with my mothers force ghost, and it opened my eyes. I must speak with the Jedi Council on the decision that I have made."  
  
Any sort of manner or authority that Obi Wan had before she arrived was gone as she sped past him, pulling her blonde waves into a messy ponytail. "She-She _cut all her hair off?_ " He grumbled, flashing a sarcastic smile as she winked at him and bounded up the steps towards the Councils room. "I'm offended."  
  
"So am I. I should've taken a photo of your reaction. That was _hilarious_."  
  
***  
Opal leaned against the outside of the Council's doors, her ear pressed to the cool metal as she listened to Anakin's request of becoming a Jedi Master be denied. "How can you do this? This is outrageous! It's unfair. How can you be on the Jedi Council and not be a Master?"  
  
Her heart ached for her Padawan. Anakin had been trying so hard to gain their trust ever since he'd started his training and the Council's mistrust had only made him angrier over the years. "Take a seat, young Skywalker." Mace Windu said. Opal inhaled deeply and pulled her ponytail tighter, straightening her cream colored tunic. _It's now or never._  
  
Every single person on The Council looked up as the durasteel doors opened and Opal Stone stepped through. Master Windus jaw clenched when he saw the scar on the side of her face, similar to Anakin's but much larger in size. Her doe brown eyes examined the members of The Council, including Obi-Wan, until they settled on him. "O-Opal?" He breathed, trying to mask the shock in his voice. "What-"  
  
"You all thought I was dead, didn't you?" Grand-Master Yoda narrowed his eyes on the girl he'd trained as a youngling as she came into the room, tossing Obi-Wan's lightsaber in the air and catching it with ease. "A Jedi Master, lost to the dark after murdering her own _father._ Pretty pathetic story, isn't it?" Her head snapped down as she heard Yoda clear his throat to interject a comment. "I spent _months_ trying to pull myself away from The Dark to come back here to be with my partner and my padawan. I should’ve succumbed. I very nearly did. Meanwhile you all just sat here and did _nothing_ to figure out why I was gone. Do you care?"  
  
"Opal-"  
  
"No. You don't. I find that extremely upsetting, and at the same time... I no longer care!" Opal curled her hands on her hips and stared directly at the three Council Members she knew best with cold, hard eyes. "It's sad that you can not be in tune with your emotions because the Jedi Code forbids it. You can't grieve because of a _rule._ Do you understand how stupid that sounds? One of the best things about being a Sith Apprentice was being able to show my emotions. This Council has always been corrupt. It still is, and I continue to refuse to sit on it." Master Windu dug his fingernails into the pants he wore as his old padawan bent down to kneel in front of him. "You can hate me all you want for stepping back in here after committing such a heinous deed. You can take me out of the Jedi Order. What you can't do is _remove_ my emotions _."_ She stood to her feet slowly and nodded with a satisfied smile. "Now, I have one request to ask. I would like to request a state of absence from the Jedi Temple until I am further healed. My mind is still trying to play tricks on me."

She turned to leave promptly but was stopped by Yoda.

"Impressed, I am, Master Stone." Yoda called out. "Shocked, I am that you were able to pull yourself out of the darkness your father also fell into. How did you do it?" Opal's eyes flickered over to Obi-Wan and Anakin who were both smiling smugly.  
  
"I had a little help from my boys." She murmured, tracing the scar on her temple. "Excuse me, Masters." Obi-Wan watched with a full heart as his wife exited the room, leaving the Council Members in a state of shock as they convened. He stood and motioned for Anakin to follow him out into the hall where he knew Opal would be waiting.

"So.. Where are they sending you?" Anakin asked.   
  
"To kill General Grievous. I would take you with me, but I'd feel much more comfortable if you stay here and focus on your mind." Obi-Wan replied. She nodded solemnly and brushed a gentle kiss against his cheek. He could tell by the distant look in her eyes and the trembling of her hands that she was nervous about something. "What is it?"  
  
"Before I do tell you, I have to give you something back to you." She murmured. He watched intently as Opal pulled the chain around her neck off and slid the familiar golden band he had missed so dearly into her palm. "You better come back to me Kenobi, or so help me God, I'll kill you."  
  
"I don't plan on dying without you there beside me, wife." Obi-Wan whispered. “Now I must talk with our very angry Padawan before I leave The Temple about Chancellor Palpatine. Maybe you could calm him down for me?"  
  
"I still don't trust that _stupid_ politician." She growled. "I sense something coming, Obi Wan. Anakin is at the heart of it." He silently signed _I love you_ with his hands before Anakin brushed past her and the two of them continued down the hall in private conversation, away from her.


	21. Chapter Nineteen:

_Meanwhile in Senator Amidala's Apartment..._  
  
Anakin sat up in his place from the sofa as Padmè re-entered the apartment. "Have Obi-Wan and Opal both been here?" He asked sharply. Having grown up learning Anakin’s mannerisms rather well, Padmè took notice of the bitterness in his voice when she nodded in response.  
  
"They came by together this morning. They're both worried about you, Ani. Just like I am." Padmè replied. Opal had expressed the deepest concern out of the two Jedi Masters, confessing that she had seen dark visions while in exile of things that were to come in their future. " _Anakin is in the center of the darkness that has yet to come, Padmè. I only hope you are not there to see it._ "  
  
"I feel lost."  
  
"Lost? What do you mean?"  
  
Anakin sighed deeply as he paced the length of the bedroom windows, his eyes flickering down to the black bracelet that sat on his wrist, a birthday gift from Opal long ago after he’d passed The Trials. "Obi Wan and the Council don't trust me.” He said. “Of all the people, Opal is the only one that ever fights for me and I'm tired of being ridiculed."  
  
"Don't trust you? They trust you with their _lives!”_ Padmè exclaimed. “You are one of the two reasons that Opal came back here! How can you say that they don't trust you?"  
  
"Something is happening. I'm not the Jedi I should be, Padmè. I want _more._ " Ah, there it was. That overwhelming thirst for power and the unattainable that he'd had since he was a boy. "And I know I shouldn't.. But my judgement is beginning to grow dark. I keep thinking that Opal is going to turn on me along with Master Obi-Wan and I will be left alone." He buried his head in his hands. “So alone.” Padme's eyes softened as she rested her hands against her husbands arms.   
  
"You expect too much of yourself." She murmured. "You know as well as I do that neither Opal or Obi-Wan would hurt you purposefully. Opal is like the sister you've never had, Ani. They raised you from a small boy. For Opal to hurt you... it would be devastating. I don’t think she’s capable of that.”   
  
_Kenobi Apartment_  
  
Opal smiles as she stretched herself across the sofa, the warm Coruscant summer breeze flowing through the open balcony doors. She was desperately missing Obi-Wan who had been sent out on another mission and donned the persona of General Kenobi, but if he was saving planets and species from Separatist rule, she was okay with him being gone to play the hero of the story. "Goodnight my love." She whispered, lightly kissing her wedding ring before allowing her eyes to close and sleep to overtake her.  
  
Over the course of the next several days, Opal found herself more and more at peace the longer she sat in silence. There was no distraction other then when Padmè or Anakin came to visit, but when the young Senator came over the second time, she knew something was wrong the second she stepped into her apartment. "Something is wrong with Anakin." The younger woman cried out, burying her face in her hands. "He's so _desperate for power_ and I can feel something bad stirring, Opal. I just want to keep my husband safe."  
  
After her confession, Opal rebuilt her shields and fortified them to the best of her ability to block the fear that began to creep back into her mind when she dwelt on the possibility of Anakin turning to the Dark Side. If it happened while Obi-Wan was gone on Utapau, it would crush his already fragile spirit.He had already been through so much pain the past few years and to have him lose his padawan, the only brother he was ever going to have, would kill him. It would be the nail in the coffin that had been built when her uncle had died.   
  
She was just praying it didn't come to that.  
  
Padmè had decided to stay the night in the guest room. claiming the Anakin knew she was at the apartment with Opal and fell asleep minutes after her head hit the pillow. Opal felt her stomach clench and then roll and shot up from the sofa to run to the fresher where she then found herself curled over the toilet. 

“P-Padmè!!” 

“Are you alright?" The brunette exclaimed, hobbling in her direction as Opal continued to vomit into the toilet. "You haven't eaten bad food, have you? Is it a stomach flu?" Opal shook her head and gripped the sides of the toilet with white fingers as her head began to spin. "I hate to ask this. Do you think you could be pregnant, Opal?"  
  
Opal and Obi-Wan had been together in a.. rather _passionate_ night just before he'd been sent on his mission for the Jedi Council. They hadn't been careful, so it was a possibility. "I'm-" Opal started as she swallowed the bile threatening to rise in her throat. "I am not _ready_ to be a mother." 

"Does Obi-Wan want to be a father?" 

Tear filled blue eyes met the onyx ones knelt in front of her. "He would've left the Order years ago had I asked him to. It's really what we should've done, especially after-" _After Qui-Gon._ But the two of them had promised to her uncle as he was dying that they'd train Anakin, and Obi-Wan was not one to break his word. So they'd stayed. They'd sacrificed their relationship and suppressed _everything_ because that was what their duty required. "He would be a fantastic father. I've seen him with the younglings, I watched him with Anakin... the heart of a child is something he holds precious."   
  
"I'll tell you what," Padmè said. "We'll go in the morning to a private physician, the same one who confirmed my own pregnancy. No one will ever know about the baby. Not the other Jedi, not The Jedi Council," Her smile widened as the two women stood to their feet. " _Not a soul."_  
  
After a restless nights sleep, Opal joined Padmè and together they traveled through the upper levels of Coruscant to the physician she'd spoken of. After a short number of tests, the two women walked out of the clinic with the confirmation she needed: Opal Kenobi was carrying a child. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi's child, right in the middle of a war, and he wasn't even home for her to _tell_ him. 

"I will see you later, Padmè.” Opal lightly squeezed her hands and feigned a smile to ward off the uneasiness in her heart. "I have something I need to deal with first."  
  
After she left the Senator alone with her guard, Opal returned to her speeder and fled for the Senate Building. Something within her Force Bond with Anakin was _screaming,_ The Force was terrified and _screaming_ from the Senate, which was no doubt where Anakin was headed. Her bond with him was blocked by the darkness consuming his end. If Obi-Wan were still on planet and they were in contact via their private channel on her commlink, he would've killed her for doing something this reckless. 

Opal had to stop him from hurting anyone else.

Or even worse, himself.  
  
The Senate Building was eerily silent as she crept through the shadows of the halls, keeping her eyes trained on the main hallway that lead to the Chancellor's office where she could hear the unmistakeable timbre of Master Windu's voice.

Her heart dropped into her stomach. 

_No. Not him too._

Peering around the corner, Opal held back a gasp as she watched the scene unfold in front of her. The screaming of her former Master rang in her ears, his face veiled by the _Sith_ lightning fracturing the skyline of Coruscant just outside of the window. 

Her hand fell to the saber at her hip. 

" _He is the traitor!_ "   
  
Pale blue eyes flickered between the two people in front of him - His current allegiance and his _new_ allegiance - before The Force recognized a new presence in the room. Anakin’s bond with Opal was thrumming with nerves, her side was swaying and faltering and begging him to see reason. He could feel her desperation echoing in The Force. 

" _I have the power to save the one you love._ You must _choose!_ " Her Padawan's expression contorted with anger and desperation for any solution to save Padmè from certain death, his eyes turning to Master Windu with a new, unbridled fury in them.  
  
Opal found herself paralyzed in her place as Anakin lunged outward, screaming ferociously as he cut off Mace Windu's hand at the wrist and The Chancellor flung him out the window and into the night. Her hands were still wrapped around her saber, but The Force was thrumming with pain, with anguish and anger and _despair._ This war had just taken so many people away from them.   
  
_"I believe you will be the best of the Jedi someday, my Padawan."_ _Thirteen year old Opal Stone smiled up at her Master as she used her saber to deflect another blaster shot. "And you will finally understand the depth of my pride."_

Anakin whipped around as he felt something _snap_ in his bond with Opal. Not the entire bond, but a single strand. He whipped around and balked at the sight of the Jedi Master, angry tears burning her eyes that now held a newfound hatred. A hatred brought upon by his lack of action. "You just-" She faltered, voice raw and thick with grief. "You just _watched_ him die, Anakin. How.. how could you?" 

He didn't answer. 

" _HOW COULD YOU!?"_  
  
The Jedi Knight watched on as several different emotions flickered through her expression. The love she had for him, the child she had raised, was burning right in front of his eyes. Desperate for affirmation, Anakin Skywalker reached outward and found himself horrified when she scurried backward and ignited her saber in defense against him. "Opal, I-" Anakin collapsed on his knees, his chest heaving. "What have I done?" 

Chancellor Palpatine eyed the Ex-Sith with those sickening yellow eyes she saw in her nightmares, a sadistic smile creeping onto thin pale lips as his eyes flickered between the Jedi Master and the boy she had raised. All the visions she'd had while in exile, the storm followed by darkness with Anakin Skywalker at the center, all of it was true. It was about to happen. "You are fulfilling your destiny, Anakin." The Sith Lord replied. "Your next task is to duel your Jedi Master, _Opaline Kenobi,_ and kill her."  
  
No. No, there was no way he'd-

Opal's heart nearly stopped when Anakin nodded and slowly stood to his feet. "I will do whatever you ask, Master." Her eyes widened as Anakin drew his saber and approached her with dark, hateful eyes. He was at war with himself. "It's time for you to die, Opal Kenobi."  
  
Her body sank into her familiar Makashi form. Obi-Wan detested this pose, as did Anakin, but as someone who always did things with efficiency, it was the perfect dueling style for her to use. "Anakin, Anakin- This isn't _you!_ " She cried out, deflecting his attack with her blade. The heat of the lightsaber ghosted her face as he brought it closer and closer to her. Everything Anakin knew when it came to dueling was what both she and Obi-Wan had taught him, so there was no way she was going to beat him alone. "You're so much better then this, Anakin! You're-You're my brother! And I know you're terrified over your nightmares-Padmè told me all about them. All of this, everything you see around you is caused by his manipulation. Please," Her tone begged, _pleaded_ for him to see reason. "Please don't leave me. Please don't leave Obi-Wan."  
  
Opal winced as his saber grazed her arm, leaving a sizable burn across pale skin. She had no choice but to retreat in the opposite direction, tears falling down her face as the sound of maniacal laughter faded into nothing. 

How was she going to process this? 

How was Obi-Wan going to comprehend that his Padawan, the boy they'd sacrificed everything for, had fallen?

How would they _cope?_  
  
***

Anakin had told her about Fives discovery after she'd returned to Coruscant from Grievous' ship. The clone had essentially discovered the Separatists plan of _Order 66,_ a trigger word imbedded in the minds of all the clones made on Kamino that would turn them against the Jedi. A trigger word which would create a mass genocide. 

The only issue? None of them knew about it.

She'd never actually expected it to happen. 

When _Order 66_ was officially executed, Opal locked herself away within the apartment and tried to block the sound of the screams of the people she loved who still resided within The Jedi Temple. The same people who had trusted the Clones were being _slaughtered_ by them. Their pleas for help, the cries of the children was too much for her to handle. The Force was writhing in pain, shattered at every angle, the darkness all consuming. 

"Please, Obi-Wan." She whispered. "Please come home." Reaching over the holo-table, Opal pressed her finger against the communicator to transmit the signal to her husband's ship. " _Obi, my love, come in._ "   
  
Obi-Wan had just barely escaped Utapau after the betrayal of his clones when his commlink vibrated with life, signaling that someone on Corcuscant was trying to reach him. The signal was weak, but there, and he was anxious to know what was going on. "Come in," He said. "Your signal is weak, but I can hear you. This is Obi-Wan Kenobi, do you copy?" 

" _O-Opal Ken-"_

"Opal? Opal, come in! Do you copy?" 

" _Obi-Wan,"_ There was no reason the signal should have so much static unless something was interfering with their communications, but he chose not to dwell on that. A small version of her holo appeared in front of him and he sucked in a breathe. Opal was bent down, the hood of her cloak pulled over her head as if she were hiding from someone or _something. "Please tell me you-you are on your way ba-"_

"Opal, can you tell me what's going on?" He asked. "Can you pilot a ship and meet me at these coordinates? Cody went rogue, _all_ my clones went rogue.. and I need help." He sounded so defeated, so without hope, that it made her stomach turn. 

Obi-Wan Kenobi without hope was dangerous.  
  
" _Order 66 has been executed-Anakin turned-tried to kill me._ " Her voice was breaking up, but she was rambling and he could only catch half of what she said through the comms. " _Mass genocide-Meet at Temple-I love you."_

Her signal went dead. 

Opal clasped her hands over her ears as she curled inward on herself, retreating deep within The Force to hide herself from the wails and cries of the dying Jedi. The Force gently gripped her hand and guided her through the darkness, through the death and the destruction, and left her outside the room in the Temple where Yoda often trained the younglings. 

There stood Anakin Skywalker, the boy she loved, hood pulled over his face and lightsaber ignited. " _Please-"_ She pleaded, screwing her eyes tightly shut to avoid watching the slaughter before her eyes. "Stop this," Opal slammed her hands against the ground as body after body fell. " _Stop this!_ " 

**And all the kids cried out, "Please stop, you're scaring me."  
I can't help this awful energy  
Who is in control?**  
  
As Obi-Wan's bride began to succumb to a fitful sleep, a high pitched beeping began emanating from the call system where she'd spoken to Obi-Wan earlier. Running a hand through her blonde hair, she lifted herself to her knees and slammed her hand down on the response button. "Senator Organa?" Bail Organa was staring back at her with a frightened look in his gaze. "What-"  
  
"Obi-Wan has made contact with me. I'm coming to get you." He said sharply. "Stay low, grab your things and your weapon. Don't go outside until I come." The call cut out before she could ask him any questions, so Opal rushed to do as he requested and grabbed her essentials. She fought back to the urge to vomit as she waited for his arrival.  
  
Senator Organa pulled up in a double seated speeder moments later, extending his hand and carefully leading her into the opposite seat. "Go to sleep, my lady." He murmured. Opal thought that daylight may have been beginning to break, but it was just fire. A _massive_ fire that originated from the Jedi Temple. "I'll wake you when you're safe."


	22. Chapter Twenty:

Obi-Wan felt her the moment she entered the station. He turned himself away from his conversation with Yoda to watch Bail Organa's entrance with his wife safely tucked into his body.

"Opal!" The blonde Jedi lifted her eyes and burst into tears at the sight of her husband, still alive and still _breathing,_ and ran into his arms with zero disregard for Yoda's presence. Opal threw herself into the safety of her husbands arms, fingers grasping at the nape of his neck as she buried her face in his shoulder. "I'm so glad you're okay, sweetheart."  
  
Opal pressed her lips together as Obi-Wan pressed a kiss to the crown of her head before setting her back down on the floor. "So much death, so much of it in _vain._ " She whispered, feigning a smile while struggling to wipe the tear stains off her cheeks. "I heard everyone in the Temple, _screaming_ as they were slaughtered.."  
  
"Try to focus on the here and now. Don't think about that." He replied. Her heart fluttered as he took her hand in his own and kissed the ridge of her knuckles. "Stay near." Opal knew why he wanted her near him. Obi-Wan needed affirmation as much as she did, he needed to know that someone was waiting for him at the end of this very dark tunnel. "Master, were there any survivors in the attack on the Jedi Temple?" Opal closed her eyes and deeply inhaled, then exhaled, in a futile attempt to calm her pounding heart as they continued down the hall. 

"Heard from no one have we." The Grandmaster replied, hobbling along with his cane at his side. "Except you, Master Stone." Opal merely nodded, shivering as Obi-Wan's thumb grazed the inner skin of her forearm. Back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Had they been alone, she would've welcomed the comfort fully. Comfort in the face of The Jedi Order and its Master was the last thing she wanted. All she wanted was the assurance that Anakin would end this at home with his wife and his unborn baby. 

She thought of Kit Fisto and Plo-Koon, of Ahsoka on Mandalore. So many people she knew and cared about who were in jeopardy.  
  
"I saw thousands of clones attacking the Temple." Senator Organa said. "I believe it was the 501st battalion. Skywalker lead them.. but Rex wasn't the commandeer. It was Jesse." Anakin had told her that Rex had joined Ahsoka on Mandalore. Which meant he probably would've turned too. "That's why I went looking for Yoda. When you informed me Opal was still in Coruscant, I went looking for her too." Tears blurred Opal's vision as she felt Obi-Wan wrap his Force around her, feelings of comfort and assurance wrapping around her securely.  
  
"All of the Jedi are dead, Obi-Wan." She didn't want to believe it, but they probably were. "As far as we know, we're the only remaining three. I heard their screams, their pleas as they were slaughtered by The Clones inside the Temple. I heard it all." Obi Wan's heart sank as he turned his head to look at his wife. Tears traveled down long lashes and dripped onto her prominent cheek bones as she silently sobbed into her hand.  
  
When Obi-Wan lowered his free hand, Yoda finally noticed the glimmering diamond ring on Opal's finger and the golden wedding band on Obi-Wan's. Yoda had expected to be barraged with feelings of anger and betrayal that his two best Jedi Masters had broken The Code, but any rules that had come with it were now meaningless as The Order was defunct. 

"There was a coded signal transmitted asking all remaining Jedi to return to the Temple." Bail said.   
  
"Well then we must go back. Any stragglers will have heard that message and fall into the trap!" Obi Wan exclaimed. Opal pressed her hand over her chest as pain shot through her body, pain for the losses that the Jedi Order had suffered. She pressed her lips into a thin line and allowed Obi Wan to continue to say the words she couldn't muster to speak. "We will return to the Temple."  
  
***  
  
Opal leaned against the wall of archives as Obi-Wan finished re-transmitting the coded signal, warning all remaining Jedi to stay away from the Temple. "Is it done?" She murmured, lifting her head to meet her husbands eyes. She was just beginning to see the devastation and grief lurking in those pale blue orbs she loved so deeply.  
  
Obi-Wan nodded solemnly. "It is finished." He replied. He outstretched his hand for her to take as they followed Yoda out of The Archives, a room she hoped never to step foot in ever again. She could feel his uneasiness when he stopped in his tracks and his eyes flickered over to the security desk in the corner of the room.

"Wait Master. There is something I must know." Obi-Wan said, releasing his grip on her hand to move toward the desk.   
  
"If into the security recordings you go, only pain you will find."  
  
"Obi-Wan, Yoda's right." Opal pleaded. The Jedi Master regarded his wife with softened eyes as she wrung her hands anxiously. "You weren't _here._ You didn't hear it, you didn't _see_ it like I did. If you open that footage.. I promise that the truth will be the end of you." 

Obi-Wan turned his back to her and visibly deflated. "I don't have a choice." He whispered. As the footage of Anakin murdering the younglings played, Opal rushed off the platform and enveloped him in her arms as his Force signature began to _scream._ There was so much pain, so much _despair_ , that she hoped her touch would be the glue that kept him together. 

Having been the one to train Anakin with him, Opal was more then aware of what their former Padawan meant to him. To have his world shatter after the loss of a Master he'd almost never gotten, a man who he held so much respect for despite the way he treated him, and then to lose the boy his Master had abandoned him for simply because he was The Chosen One. For Obi-Wan, it felt like _failure_ after _failure_ after _failure._

"A moment alone, I will give you."   
  
Opal gently pushed Obi-Wan behind her and ignited her saber, grimacing as she cut straight through the machine and stopped the footage before Obi-Wan would have to watch it replay. She clipped her saber back onto her belt and turned to her husband who stood silent behind her, hand fisted against his mouth and eyes glassy with unshed tears. 

She sank to her knees with him. 

"Opal," His voice was barely a whisper as she curled into his chest and rested her head against his shoulder without so much as a word. "I-I failed him. We sacrificed so much to train Anakin, and for him to just.. to _fall.._ I _failed_ him just like I failed Qui-Gon and Satine and-" He tipped his head back and swallowed the knot in his throat. "How many people do we have to lose?" 

"No more." She said firmly. They both knew Opal didn't even believe her own words. "Not one more. I'm not losing _one more_ person. Especially you." Obi-Wan bowed his head and allowed her to cup his cheek, her warmth searing his skin as he leaned into her touch. 

She poured safety and security across their Bond as they stood to her feet. The two Jedi parted from one another to turn to the Grandmaster who was waiting patiently inside the doorway to speak to them. "Master Yoda, we cannot kill Anakin. He is.. He is like our brother."   
  
"Twisted by The Dark Side, Skywalker has become." Yoda replied. "The boy you trained, no longer he is." Opal's breathing hitched as the dark reality of the situation finally settled in her mind.

Anakin was too far gone to be saved.

"Consumed by Lord Vader, he is."  
  
"Where do we start looking? We do not know where the Emperor has sent him!" Opal asked.   
  
"Use your feelings, Opal, and find him, you both will."  
  
***

_The loss of a dream. The fall of a Hero. The End of an Era._

Padme had never felt a degree of terror like she did the night that Obi-Wan and Opal Kenobi appeared in her apartment in the midst of Anakin's disappearance would've been an understatement. What really grasped her attention, however, was the saber wound on her arm. Opal helped herself to the medical supplies provided by C3PO and sat on the wing of their ship to mend her arm. 

Obi-Wan took the liberty to explain to the Senator what was occurring. 

"Padmè, Anakin has turned to the Dark Side. Opal and I have seen security footage of him," He pressed his hand against his mouth. _"Killing_ younglings."

Senator Amidala's eyes flickered over to her best friend. Opal was now looking back at her, concern flooding her features as she watched disbelief flicker across Padme's face. They were _both_ Anakin's Masters. Weren't they supposed to keep him safe? Away from the Sith?

"Well.. You brought Opal back from the Dark Side!" She protested. "Can't you bring Anakin back too?"  
  
"I've seen people die, Padmè. I've seen them fall and I've seen them disregard everything they stand for. When I say this, I mean it." Opal slowly slid off the wing and began walking towards her. "Anakin is too far one to be saved. When I fell to The Dark, my father had convinced me that there was nothing else out there for me. That my destiny was to be _Darth Zannah,_ not The Jedi I had spent my entire life working to be. Anakin has been hungry for a power he could not attain since the day we met him, and the thirst to be with _you_ was his driving force. I saw him kill younglings myself in visions. He was ordered to kill me by Lord Sidious and almost did. The man you loved is just another story now."  
  
"I don't believe you! I-I _can't-_ "  
  
Another strand of her bond with Anakin snapped as the disbelief broke past Padmè’s lips. "Padmè, _Maker-_ Look around you! Look at _that!_ " She jabbed a thumb in the direction of The Temple. "The Jedi Order has fallen, all the people we hold dear are _dead,_ and your husband is in the eye of the storm!" Anakin's bride flinched as Opal slammed her hand against the table and leaned towards her with dark eyes. "We _have_ to find him. He's become a great threat that must be destroyed."  
  
Concerned blue eyes followed her figure as she turned from them both and walked towards the ship with no regard to turn around and check on the well-being of her dearest friend. Obi-Wan paused momentarily. 

"Anakin is the father isn't he?"

At the mention of the Skywalker child, Opal's hands fell to her stomach where Obi-Wan's baby rested safely, assured it _would_ be born to a loving mother and father. 

"I'm so sorry."  
  
The cockpit of the ship opened as both Opal and Obi-Wan climbed into it, leaving Senator Amidala behind to make the decision of attempting to rescue her husband on her own. Opal leaned back against the co-pilots chair and sighed deeply, wincing as her bandaged arm brushed the controls beside her.

The question came more easily then she expected. 

"Are you afraid, Obi-Wan?" She murmured, starlight flickering in her amber eyes.  
  
He gripped the controls with white knuckles and kept his eyes firmly placed on the skies before him. "Fear is a lie." He replied softly. "A lie I far too easily give into. However, if you _truly_ wish t know, yes. I am terrified." 

Together they set the ship down on the same anding pad where Padmè's starship sat, fully aware that she would be taking it to Mustafar in a brave attempt to reason with Anakin to come home and leave his desire for power behind. The lid of the ship opened and together they slid out of it. Obi-Wan held a finger to his lips and pointed to the panel just inside the ramp, a small storage closet not currently in use where he knew they'd be safely stowed away together. 

Obi-Wan lead Opal into the compartment and sat cross legged on the floor, opening his arms for her to fall into them. "I'm tired of being afraid, Ben." She whispered softly. Opal took his hands in her own and rested them against her stomach. "I'm exhausted, exhausted of war and death. I just.." She swallowed the tears building in her eyes. "I don't want anyone else to die." 

"Nothing is going to happen to me, or to you." He whispered in response, tracing a finger along the scar on her face before lightly brushing his lips against it. "I do however sense that something is bothering your mind. Your Force signature is emanating fear. What's wrong?" 

_Now or never, I guess._  
  
"While you were on Utapau, I went to one of the local clinics used for the higher-ups of Coruscant and discovered something... well, something _wonderful._ " The Jedi Master rose an eyebrow as she smiled, smiled more brightly then the star systems and so widely that her cheeks began to hurt. "I'm pregnant." 

He was in too much shock to speak, so Opal continued. "I sense your apprehension and your fear about being a good father to our child, but let me tell you something long overdue." She leaned back in his arms and held his face loosely in her hands. "You are the best man I've ever known. The most humble, the most courageous and the most _kind._ After everything you went through as an Initiate, getting sent to the AgriCorp, fighting like hell to impress Qui-Gon even though he didn't want to take you on as his Padawan.. losing Qui-Gon, taking on Anakin, fighting every natural instinct to be with me... despite your fear of failing everyone you've ever loved, you are the hero that the legends speak of." His smile was _radiant_ as disbelieving laughter quietly broke past his lips. "I have no doubts in my mind that in any lifetime, in any universe, I'd choose you. You're going to be a remarkable father." 

There was no kiss comparable to that one right then. The one where he pulled her flush against his body and tangled his fingers in her hair, kissing her with such ferocity and _joy_ that it made her toes curl. 

"You, Opal Kenobi," He murmured as she wrenched herself away from him to regain the breath he'd stolen from her lungs. "Will be the best mother. Our little girl will look just like you." 

"I'd rather she look like you." 

"And why is that?" 

"The red hair is _hot._ " 

That moment of time where they felt nothing but pure joy and hope for their future was ruined as reality sank back in around them: They were about to lose Anakin Skywalker. 

Silence settled between them as she rested her head against his shoulder, allowing his hands to settle on her thighs and trace comforting circles against her skin.  
  
"You got me back and I wasn't too far gone." She murmured underneath her breath. "I was serious about what I told Padmè. I truly believe that Anakin Skywalker can not be saved."

Opal knew that Obi-Wan still had high hopes of retrieving the boy he'd raised. When he saw that look of resignation in her eyes, his heart sank. Maybe she was right. Maybe the man who he'd considered his brother truly was too far gone, too enveloped by The Dark, to be saved. 

_Where you find Kenobi, Skywalker is not far behind._

"I love you."  
  
The pair exited the starship together, rushing down the hangar bay door just in time to see Padmè and Anakin reunited. Obi-Wan took one last look over his shoulder at his wife and feigned a smile. There was too much at stake now for her to put herself in danger. "I love you too." He whispered. "Now stay behind me."   
  
With her hood pulled over her head, Opal remained silent as she watched her heavily pregnant best friend begin backing away from her husband. "I don't believe what I'm hearing-" She exclaimed. "Obi-Wan and Opal were right. You've _changed._ "   
  
_"_ I don't want to hear anymore about Obi-Wan or Opal." Anakin snapped. Obi-Wan sensed the building fury in his wife and pulled her body to his with The Force, pressing his hand firmly over her mouth to silence her angry screams. "The Jedi have turned against me! Don't you turn against me too."   
  
Opal's eyes widened as she struggled to wrench her husbands hand off of her mouth. _Please Maker._ She pleaded. _Not her too._ "I don't know you anymore! Anakin.. You're breaking my heart! You're going down a path I can't follow!"

Opal's Force Signature _writhed_ with desperation. Onyx eyes snapped up to meet the pale blues of her husband, finally pulling his hand far back enough that she could breathe.   
  
"I have to help her!" Opal hissed. Obi-Wan was adamant now that he knew about their child that Opal was not about to make such reckless decisions and get herself killed in turn. "Obi-Wan, that is my greatest friend in this entire Galaxy out there and I'm _not_ about to let her die too! Please, _please_ let me save Padme _._ "

He was tempted to give her a rather strong Force suggestion so she wouldn't have to witness any of this. Devastation was not in Opal Kenobi's nature.   
  
Anakin's eyes darkened the instant that he saw both of his previous Masters standing in the hangar door. "Liar!" He roared, raising his hand and curling his fingers. Opal nearly went hysterical as Padmè's hands went for her throat where Anakin was performing quite possibly the last Force choke he would do before she killed him herself. "You brought them here to kill me!"  
  
Opal balled her hands at her sides. "Anakin Skywalker," She said darkly. "Take your _hands_ off your _wife_ before I end you in your place." She shed her robes due to the sweltering heat of Mustafar. "I could do _much_ worse to you. I know how to control my anger, I don't let my anger own me." She stepped towards him. " _I_ own it."   
  
Surprise didn't even begin to describe what she felt as Anakin turned against her, her hands creeping towards her neck to try and pry off an invisible Force.

Obi-Wan's voice rang in her ears. 

"Anakin, get your hands off of my _wife_. _"_ Obi-Wan snapped. The calm facade of _The Negotiator_ disappeared the moment he watched his wife's body fall to the landing pad in slow motion. His heart nearly stopped as she nearly fell unconscious beside Padme's body, all the life drained from her. Defeated. 

She laid there, weak and broken, as her ears tried to drown out the words screamed between the Master and his fallen Apprentice.

"I have brought freedom, peace, justice, and security to my new Empire!" Anakin yelled. Opal arched her back as pain flooded her body, her muscles overwhelmed with exhaustion as she struggled to keep herself upright.   
  
"Your new Empire?!"  
  
Her own voice didn't even sound right to her as she tried to breathe, to say _something_ to release her anger. The Force wasn't going to cut it. If Opal was going to die today, she might as well confess every thing going through her head since the night Anakin had tried to kill her. "You, Anakin Skywalker, are just another mistake!" She screamed, her voice hoarse as smoke filled her lungs. When he turned to face her, she was truly afraid of looking him in the eye for fear her heart would try to reach out and save him.

The boy she had raised was dead.

''Everything you were is _false._ Everything you are is _corrupt._ You are not the man I sacrificed everything to train, the boy I raised. You are a man who lost himself to greed and lust and a desire to have the unattainable." Opal swallowed the bile threatening to break past her lips as a wave of sickness hit her full force. Her hand wrapped around Obi-Wan's ankle where he stood beside her. 

"I _hate_ you for it."


	23. Chapter Twenty One:

" _Stay with Padmè! "_  
  
Exhaustion numbed her grief as Opal sank back onto the landing pad, oblivious to the duel her husband and former best friend were engaged in before her. There was no doubt that one of them would not be coming out of it alive. Utter defeat flooded her as she slowly sat up at her waist beside Padmè, running her fingers through the younger womans hair to keep herself calm.   


_12 year old Anakin Skywalker grinned brightly as he called his lightsaber to himself for the first time using The Force. Opal jumped up and squealed as her padawans excited eyes met hers. "That's it! You finally did it!"_  
  
The pride that swelled within her for Anakin was inexplicable. To hold such a high reputation in The Jedi Order like he had... Despite her extensive training, Opal could never compare to him. They called her _Light Bringer,_ and Obi-Wan was _The Negotiator,_ but Anakin was otherwise known as _The Hero With No Fear._

 _Light Bringer._ Where they'd come up with that, she didn't know. She was skilled in the art of saber combat and often turned to The Force in her most dire times of need, but compared to Anakin and Obi-Wan? Opal was nothing. She wasn't a General and she wasn't The Chosen One. She was just a Jedi, like her mother before her. 

Raising him had been the greatest decision she'd ever made, and to see the darkness consume him was a sight to make her word come crashing down altogether.   


" _Can I ask you something, Master Stone?" Anakin asked. He had learned the habit of tugging on the end of his Padawan braid when he was nervous from Obi-Wan, who had done the same when he was the apprentice to her uncle. Placing her chin on her hand, Opal looked into his eyes and nodded. "Why do you hide?"_  
  
_"Hide what?"  
  
"Your true feelings for Master Obi-Wan." He replied. She winced at his statement, her mind flashing back to the night they had kissed so long ago that hadn't been talked about since. The two of them still valued the other deeply, but love had not been a topic of discussion, well... ever. "You two tell me constantly that I need to be mindful of the Jedi Code because of my undeniable feelings for Padmè, but have you ever denied yourself loving someone?" _  
  
If it hadn't been for Anakin's resilience to get her and Obi-Wan together, she may have never confessed her love for the boy who saved her life so many years ago. Anakin Skywalker had been beneficial to her growth as a person ever since the first time they had met. She had wanted to thank him for it, but he was dead. Anakin was _dead._

Opal could not fully comprehend the reality of her situation. Here she sat, pregnant and alone, as her husband dueled his brother somewhere deep within the planet. If it weren't for Anakin, that precious little boy from Tattooine with a thirst for adventure, she would've never come back from The Dark Side herself. He made her see reason, see _hope_ and _light_ , and see the man in front of her and had never given up on her despite reason telling him otherwise.   
  
Opal closed her eyes as she pulled Padmè’s head into her lap, closing her eyes and pulling herself deep within her Force Bond with Obi-Wan. She could feel his pain, his heartbreak with every connection of sabers.

Her choice appeared to her clear as day. 

"I have to break it." She whispered uncertainly, taking Padmè’s hand in her own and clutching it tightly. " _Maker,_ I have to break the training Bond." 

When Anakin had been assigned to herself and Obi-Wan, they'd both formed a training bond with their Padawan so they could sense his troubles and his emotions better. It had helped her calm him down after night terrors for years. 

But after so long, it was time to let him go. 

Master Windu had told her that forcibly breaking a Bond was almost as bad as death. If this was the way to give herself the closure she needed to let go of Anakin Skywalker, she'd do it no matter the cost. 

White hot pain seared her entire body as a scream broke past her lips, trembling fingers tangling in her hair as the wavering strands of her Bond with her Padawan snapped individually. She poured all of her strength into the Force, releasing her anger and her grief and her confusion before gasping as the Bond severed completely. 

Darkness tinted her vision as she laid back down, cradling Padmè's head in her lap as she gazed up at a sky of fire. 

"Please, my love." She whispered. Obi-Wan froze for a fraction of a second as he felt his wife fading, the last of her limited strength pouring into The Force, into _him_ , and fortifying his resolve. "Please stay safe."   
  
The last thing she felt before she slipped into unconsciousness was reassurance, comfort, and love. He was going to come back to her. They still had a future to build.   
  
She saw the end in her dreams. Opal assumed it had to do with her Bond with Obi-Wan. 

" _It's over Anakin. I have the high ground._ "

 _Her corporeal self watched as Anakin lowered his head, revealing those same beady yellow eyes she'd been seeing for months. The very subject of her nightmares_.  
  
" _You underestimate my power._ "

_Obi-Wan shook his head. "Don't try it." He warned. A startled cry left her lips as Anakin backflipped through the air, screaming angrily as Obi-Wan twisted his wrist and his saber severed both legs and his remaining arm from his body. Opal hadn't seen him perform Mou Kei since they were Padawans in the training areas of the Temple just beginning to learn their favored fighting style. It was meant to be the move that ended all moves, and it had worked efficiently on Anakin. Opal closed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line as Obi-Wans haunted words rang in her ears._

_"You were The Chosen One! It was said you'd destroy the Sith, not join them!" He yelled. "Bring balance to The Force, not leave it in darkness."_

_She did the only thing she knew how to do and wrapped her Force around him. Obi-Wan immediately sank into the familiar touch. The ghost of a kiss lingered at his temple as he kept his eyes trained on his padawan, the very being of his endless failures, who was attempting to claw his way back up the bank he'd fallen upon._   
  
_"I HATE YOU!" Anakin roared. Obi-Wan glanced down at the ruined remains of a man he loved so dear and sighed deeply, ignoring the sting of tears in his eyes._

_"You were my brother, Anakin. I loved you."_

Opal wheezed as her eyes snapped open, and she slowly moved herself to her feet to half carry and half drag an unconscious Padmè back into her ship and lay her on the cot. A small smile upturned er lips as she ran her fingers over her cheek and left the premises, settling herself down on the hangar bay door as she waited for Obi-Wan to return. The last thing she saw of Anakin Skywalker before Obi-Wan shielded his side of the Bond was the remains of his body falling victim to endless flames, ending the life of the boy she'd raised forever.   
  
"Obi-Wan!" She yelled. Obi-Wan's head shot up at the sound of her voice as Opal came stumbling off of Padmè's star cruiser, her hands outstretched for him to take them. Obi-Wan stumbled as he clutched her tunic tightly. His chest was constricting, his eyes were watering and _Maker-_ When did it get so hard to _breathe-_

"C3PO." Opal called out to the droid softly. "Have R2D2 start the ship. We need to get The Senator to a medical station as soon as possible." The droid nodded and disappeared into the cock-pit to leave the two Jedi alone. "Grief is just the loss of love, Ben. We're not Jedi anymore." Those words smacked him _hard_ in the face as he buried his face in her shoulder and wept. 

" _Failed-He-Dead-Cannot-Do-To-You-Daughter-"_

Opal swallowed the nausea overwhelming her and ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. "Anakin chose his path." She whispered in his ear. "And now we choose ours. We choose a better future, a future of _hope_ and _love_ , for our child. The life we knew is dead. It doesn't mean we are." 

But she knew better. Opal and Obi-Wan Kenobi had died right alongside Anakin Skywalker on Mustafar that day. 

Obi-Wan leaned forward and kissed her soundly. He applied just enough pressure to ease her lips open, and then he slipped into her mouth with the obvious intention to devour her whole. Opal sighed into his kiss and rose her hands to cup his elbows, nimble fingers traveling down his arms to link their fingers together and hold them over her stomach. 

"Never again will you be alone," He whispered against her mouth. Opal curled into his chest and rested her forehead against the side of his neck. "I love you. I love our child," Obi-Wan spread his fingers over her tunic and smiled gently. " _So_ much."

She knew. She always did. 

"Sleep, Ben." Opal said. "I'll wake you when we arrive." The overwhelming exhaustion he'd been fighting since arriving on Mustafar hit him full force right then, but Obi-Wan knew he'd have a difficult time sleeping with the sight of what had just happened replaying on a loop behind his eyelids. "Do you need a Force suggestion? Don't make me resort to it, old man." 

He swallowed the laughter bubbling in his throat as she peered at him over her shoulder. "I think a Force suggestion might do nicely, my dear." Obi-Wan murmured. Opal nodded and turned herself just enough to wave her hand and whisper, "Sleep." 

Obi-Wan sank into unconsciousness with relative ease. 

Opal leaned into his embrace and wrapped his arms around her waist, using The Force to pilot Padmè’s ship as her husband slept soundly behind her. She watched Mustafar disappear behind her. 

_"Goodnight and farewell to a man I once knew. Sleep well, brother."_

***

Obi-Wan woke to gentle kisses across his cheeks and forehead. " _Ben_ ," Opal whispered into his mind. He slowly allowed his eyes to flutter open and meet the onyx ones before him. "We're here. C'mon." 

Obi-Wan carried Padmè out of the star-ship and into the medical facility they'd arrived to, following hot on the heels of Bail Organa as they watched the droids work over The Senator. "She is medically healthy," The nearest droid said. "But for reasons we cannot explain, we are losing her." 

Obi-Wan and Opal both stiffened at the thought of losing Padmè so _soon_ after just losing Anakin. He strengthened his arms around her waist as her knees threatened to buckle beneath her. 

"She's _dying?_ " He asked. Opal turned into his chest and buried her face in his shoulder, fingers knotting into the fabric of his robes. _No more death. No more death._

"We do not know why. She has simply lost the will to live." The droid replied. "We need to operate quickly if we are to save the babies." That caught her attention. Padmè had told her she was carrying _one_ child, not _two._

 _"If anything were to ever happen to me, would you promise to take care of my baby? Both you and Obi-Wan?"_  
  
"I'm sorry," Her voice was muffled by the robes. "There are two babies?" The shock behind her voice was almost comical. After everything that had happened in the past weeks, the fact that Anakin had conceived two children with the woman he loved shouldn't have shocked her so much. It did. 

"She's carrying twins." 

It was almost as if that was her sign to keep hoping; To tell Opal that she and Obi-Wan would be the guardians to one of Padmè and Anakin's children. The thought of raising a child that was doomed to die because of their lineage made her stomach turn, but she had made a promise to a new mother and had no intention to break it. 

Obi-Wan and Opal leaned over the opposite side of Padmè's bed, ready to give her the encouragement she needed to push. "C'mon Pad." Opal murmured. "You can do it. Don't give up on me now, Amidala."   
  
[A/N: This part is weird because the droid speaks a different language, so I'm going to translate it how it sounds.] "Isita- oida." Obi-Wan smirked and took the baby from the droids arms, towering over Padmè to give the younger woman the sight of her new born son.  
  
" _Luke._ " She whispered, a weak smile crossing her face as she lifted her finger to stroke the baby's cheek. _"Oh Luke_." Obi-Wan glanced up at Opal with wonder in his eyes. She often forgot he'd only ever dealt with the Younglings at the Temple, and not the babies. The sight of her husband who had been so overwhelmed by grief and anguish and failure when they'd arrived now _alive_ and _grinning_ at the sight of Anakin's son made her heart swell with adoration for him. Laughter echoed in the delivery room as the baby wrapped his finger around Obi's and gripped as if his life depended on it.   
  
"He's gripping my finger!" Her husband cried out, tears pricking his eyes as he stared down at Anakin's son with his jaw dropped. "He's- _He's gripping my finger!_ "  
  
"Hello, this is your wife speaking." She retorted, her lips parting in that brilliant smile he hadn't seen in such a long time. "Now that you've seen a baby and held said baby, you'll get to experience this again in oh..." Opal tilted her head. "Nine months when it is _your_ child."   
  
The sounds of a newborns cries filled the room as Padmè gave the last of her strength to her second baby, wheezing as her grip on the side of the table weakened and left her hands hanging limp. "It's a girl, sweetheart." Opal murmured, a disbelieving laugh bursting past her lips as the droid handed her the baby.  
  
" _Leia._ "  
  
Luke and Leia Skywalker.

Opal still had yet to determine whether or not they would be blessings or curses to the world. "Obi-Wan-Opal-" Both of the Kenobi's bent over the dying mother as her eyes continued to flutter and she struggled to maintain even breathing. "There is good in him- I know. I- _I know_ there's still-" Opal's eyes widened as Padmè Amidala's chest stopped moving, and the last breath of life left her lips.  
  
Padmè and Anakin. Both dead in the same day.  
  
"Opal-" Obi-Wan called out, continuing to cradle Luke as he noticed his wife's form swaying slightly. She was in catatonic shock from losing both her best friend, her padawan, and the only life she'd ever known all in the span of a few short weeks. Her Force signature was writhing, bent over in pain and _radiating_ the swell of emotions coursing through her body. Everything she felt, he felt just as deeply. "Opal, sweetheart, focus-"  
  
His response was cut off when Opal cradled baby Leia to her chest, ducking her head out of Obi-Wan's sight as she sat in the small stool behind her and began to cry hysterically. Everyone she loved was dead, and the only reason to keep fighting was the impossible man with the broken blue stare in front of her, and their baby growing in her womb. "You will not let us down, my angel." Opal whispered, lifting her head to stare at Leia's mother. "This child will be a Queen. The Queen that her mother never got to be."   
  
It was decided by Obi-Wan, Senator Organa, Yoda, and Opal that they would split the two children up to ensure their safety against the Sith. Senator Organa agreed to take Leia to Alderaan to be watched over by himself and his wife, while Opal and Obi-Wan would take Luke to Tatooine and be his guardians from a distance while they handed Luke over to Beru and Owen Lars, Anakin's only family left.  
  
"Obi-Wan, Opal, a minute you must wait." Yoda called out. Obi-Wan sat back down in his chair, gently guiding Opal to sit on his knee since she could no longer kneel. The Grandmasters emerald eyes flickered between the husband and wife before they finally settled on the wedding rings they both wore. "Approve of your Union, I do." Relief flooded her face as she relaxed in Obi-Wan's arms. "Proud of you both, I am. Be faithful, always."


	24. Epilogue

Owen and Beru Lars were thrilled to take in new-born Luke Skywalker despite their devastation at the loss of Anakin and Padme so quickly. They did not question the two Jedi Masters who brought the baby to their door, or the broken look in their eyes as they walked away from them. "That baby is going to be a remarkable man when he grows up." Opal Kenobi murmured to her husband as they settled together on their speeder. "Do you think the same, Ben?" 

He rose a questioning eyebrow. "Do you still think I'm magnificent, Harmony Kenobi?" He mused, turning his head to look over his shoulder at his wife. They were now going by _Harmony_ and _Ben Kenobi_ since their arrival to Tatooine for fear that their real identities would be discovered. "Your ego is still the same as ever, dear wife."   
  
Opal wrapped her arms around his middle and pressed her face between his shoulder blades, inhaling that scent that always clung to his robes. The scent of home. 

"As long as you still think me powerful, Ben Kenobi." She replied softly, lifting her head to gaze at the twin suns of Tatooine.   
  
Gold and amber flickered deep within the depths of onyx. Obi-Wan could see her face, feel the peace she resonated deep within The Force. Away from the oppression of secrets, no longer having to worry about being deceptive and hiding their relationship from The Jedi Council. After so long of waiting to be together, freedom was theirs _._

 _"_ Shall we go home?" Obi-Wan yelled. Opal beamed at her husband as they took off through the Junland Wastes towards their little home.   
  
"As long as I'm with you, Obi-Wan.. I am home."  
  
 **9 Months Later**

"You have this, sweetheart." Obi-Wan whispered encouragement in her ear from where he sat behind Opal, her back pressed to his chest and his arms hooked underneath of hers. Sweat beaded against her brow from where they lay in the hospital beds at Mos Eisley preparing for the coming of their daughter. "That's it, darling. _Push._ " 

Opal let out one last scream, inhaling sharply as the sounds of a newborn's cry pierced the air. Obi-Wan took his free hand and tilted her chin just enough to see their baby girl. "A _girl."_ She breathed, disbelieving laughter echoing in the air as their daughter was laid on her chest. Obi-Wan was wearing that same look of wonder he'd worn when Luke and Leia had been born. Absolutely wonder. 

There she was, their daughter, a squirming mess of blood and long limbs but so very much _alive._

 _"_ What do we wish to name her?" Obi-Wan asked, eyes shining with pride as Opal ran a finger along her cheek. "She is _your_ baby too though. I can only take credit for the hair." Deep laughter broke past his lips as he curled a strand of strawberry blonde hair around his finger. "She might not keep it though. How unfortunate." 

Silence ensued between the couple as Opal studied her newborn baby with warm brown eyes. She had not felt such a satisfaction since being rescued by Anakin and Obi-Wan after exiling herself from living so many years ago. Since they'd sat in that ship and Obi-Wan's Force Signature had _sang_ with the news of their child to come into the world even at the end of everything they ever knew. 

"Emma." She whispered. "Emma Brielle Kenobi." The pair gazed down at the sleeping babe cradled against her mother's breast. "A child, conceived by the most remarkable man and the woman who gained the redemption she thought herself undeserving of." Opal bent her head and brushed the barest kiss against pale, smooth skin. "You are meant to do incredible things."   
  
_Fin._


	25. BONUS ONE: Terrors (They Lurk Behind My Eyes)

This bonus chapter ties in with the epilogue AFTER Opal gives birth to Emma.

Prompt: After the events of Episode III, Beru and Owen Lars go off planet for a week and ask Opal&Obi-Wan to watch over a two year old Luke, who is much more in tune with other peoples emotions then anyone has noticed.

\----------------

After the three hour return from Mos Eisley to their quaint little home deep within the deserts of Tatooine, Ben Kenobi pulled down the worn hood of his Jedi robes and peered inside the front entrance of his home. He was cradling the supplies from the market in his arms as he entered the house and laid it on the table in the front room. "Opal, Emma? I'm home!" 

Uneasiness filled Ben. When he'd left in the earliest hours of the morning, Opal had been tucked in their bed with two year old Luke Skywalker and their young daughter Emma. Luke was rather energetic even at such a young age, and Emma was desperate to play so she was constantly following on his heels. Opal normally spent her time watching over them, her journal close by as she recorded the events of their history in the Jedi Order together for when their daughter was older and would most likely embark on the same journey herself. There was no _Gathering_ to retrieve her Kyber crystals this time, no Master Yoda to train her, everything they'd gone through to become The Jedi they were now was _dead._

And so was Obi-Wan Kenobi. 

The fact that Opal had not responded to his call made his stomach clench. What if she or his daughter were injured? It wasn't as if his wife could not take care of herself. Her resilience and devotion was one of the things that made her an incredible warrior, but he had always been afraid it would be her downfall in the end.

As he padded through the house and checked every room within the house, the sound of a high pitched beeping caught his attention within their bedroom. Ben could feel his heart threatening to escape his chest, pounding erratically in his ear as he recognized the metallic smell wafting beneath the door. He removed his saber from its place on his belt as he entered. 

There was a tall man dressed in a long black cape standing in front of him who appeared to be cradling an object in each arm. Ben realized the closer he became that the objects were _children_ and they appeared to be asleep on the man's shoulders. _Where are my wife and daughter?_ "Who are you?" He demanded, raising the blade to brush against the back of the masked strangers skull. Any threat Ben intended on making died when the figure turned around to face him. " _Anakin?_ "  
  
The _thing_ in front of him definitely resembled Anakin. He was wearing a mask with a built-in respirator. Whatever had been done in the aftermath of Mustafar had left him confined to this armor, to this _cage,_ as a prisoner inside of his own body for the rest of his life. The only difference was that the mask had a very clear tear in it, and only one eye was visible. One _yellow_ eye. 

The rest of the armor hid his other disfigurements. His cybernetic hands, the burns, the saber wounds.. all of it. The most intriguing thing was the fact that the children in his arms who were the spitting image of himself and Padme showed no fear in the sight of something truly terrible. In one arm was none other then Luke, sound asleep with his cheek pressed against a padded shoulder. The other arm held who he assumed to be Leia - _But wasn't she supposed to be on Alderaan with Organa?_

One of his biggest struggles since arriving on Tatooine was being able to let go of the man who had torn his mind in two. Knowing his past with Anakin and the man he had been before the darkness had overtaken him was excruciating, especially given the fact that he would not be where he was now if hadn't been for his influence over Opal. "It pains me to know that someone who claimed to care about me so _deeply_ before leaving me to die would hide my children from me." Darth Vader remarked ominously. Ben froze at the voice. It sounded so robotic, so monotonous.. so not _Anakin._  
C"Not knowing Padme was carrying _twins_ was unbearable. They help rid me of the grief I faced after her death." Ben's eyes pricked with tears. He suddenly felt smaller then he had ever been in his life. There was so much death and so much of it on _his_ hands. The fact that he and Opal had dedicated their lives to keeping Luke safe and raising their daughter, and now this _thing_ had let itself into his home and was threatening _him._ "I thought I'd only return the favor for all you caused me, _traitor._ " 

Ben's eyes widened as he realized the true intentions. "No," He pleaded. "No, _please._ " The ex-Jedi Master gasped despite the overwhelming pain blooming through his chest, falling forward and onto his knees in surrender as his eyes flickered downward to the saber impaled in his stomach. He clung to Anakin's shoulder as his fallen Padawan removed the blade and embraced him tightly. 

The children were gone.   
  
Vader embraced him tightly. 

_Obi-Wan? Wake up darling._  
  
Gloved fingers tangled in his hair and yanked _hard._ "You took everything I held dearest to me. My children, my wife, my _life._ Imagine my shock when I find that my wife has given me not one but two children. It was surprise, I can assure you. Now, _brother_ , since you gifted me with such a beautiful shock I only think it appropriate to return the favor."   


_Obi-Wan, please wake up!_

Vader allowed him to fall to the floor. Ben arched his back and pressed his hand against the saber wound in his stomach to staunch the flow of blood. When he extended his hand outward to grasp anything he could reach to lift himself up and peer in the crib, his hand came away scarlet. 

When he turned his head, the eyes of his dead wife stared back at him. 

A guttural sob tore through his body and made Ben Kenobi curl inward on himself. He could suddenly see them behind his eyes - all the people he had failed and lost in return - and now the body of his wife and his baby girl were just two names to add to his never ending list. 

Red-rimmed blue eyes studied bloodstained hair and broken fingers and a cast aside wedding ring discarded by the crib. The crib that also happened to be coated in blood. Seemed everything he touched came away bloodstained now. 

" _Please,_ Maker-" He rasped. "Not-Not my baby, not my _Emma-_ " 

Ben found himself painfully alone for the first time since he was thirteen years old. Sure, he'd had the Jedi and his Master and his Apprentice, but despite his losses there was always the lingering presence of Opal Stone in his vicinity. She was always there to pick up his broken pieces and sew his bleeding heart back together. 

Now it would be left to him. 

Fatigue flooded his body. Exhaustion seeped into his bones, into the very core of himself, and Ben Kenobi felt the last grips of his life slipping away from him as his blood seeped onto the floor of the bedroom and joined with his wife. He was struck with a line of poetry that he'd heard as a Padawan in his earliest years of the Jedi Temple, a line that seemed appropriate given the circumstances.   
  
" _This place will become your home. This place will become your tomb._ "  
  
 _Obi-Wan, my love, you have to open your eyes!_

It was the middle of the night when Obi-Wan Kenobi woke up in a cold sweat, fingers twisted in the sheets of his bed with his wife resting beside him. Concerned brown eyes swept across his trembling figure until she lifted her hand and reluctantly laid it on his arm. Opal had woken when he'd begun thrashing in his sleep, grasped in the throes of his nightmare. He'd had alot of them since Emma had been born. Granted, they'd both been plagued with night terrors since the Fall of The Jedi. Opal had thought them both to be getting better. Her heart ached as wide, broken blue eyes snapped open and he shot up at the waist, fingers tangling in his hair as he buried his head between his knees. "Obi-Wan." She whispered. "It's me. It's me, your _wife."_ It was so hard to not break along with him. Maker, she _missed_ Anakin and Padme. "You are _alive_ , your baby girl is _alive,_ Luke is still in the house with us." She rose to her knees and knelt in front of him on the bed. Tentatively taking his hands into her own, she grasped them lightly and held them against her face. "Safe. Safe. _Safe_. _"_

"No-No, Opal-I-I- _can't_ -" 

She'd discovered early on that the only solution to pull Obi-Wan out of his panic attacks was by singing. Opal had no idea how or _why_ it worked, but it did, and the song she used was one she'd sung to Anakin at 11 years old during his first week at the Temple. It was an old lyric, one she'd learned from her mother that she carried close to her heart. 

"Okay." She replied. "Then focus on me, and listen to the song."   
  
_Hey Jude, don't make it bad_

_Take a sad song and make it better_

  
"My wife." He whispered. Obi-Wan had enormous difficultly with trusting people because he'd worn his heart on his sleeve so much more often then people believed. That mistake had cost him more than he'd ever bargained for. Even now, bathed in shadow with nothing but the moon as their company, Obi-Wan found himself enthralled by the fact that his wife had survived the entire ordeal right beside him. The Clone Wars, a fall to Darkness, the loss of their Padawan and his wife, tragedy after tragedy after tragedy and yet she was still standing as strong as she'd been at ten years old when she'd beaten Bruck so badly after the first _Oafy Wan_ incident that Yoda had disciplined her to her quarters for a week. "The most remarkable." Obi-Wan found his heart rate had calmed considerably as she continued singing, eyes shining with mirth as she watched him. "The best of women." 

_And that'll be enough._

He took her into his arms and softened as she wrapped her legs around his waist, burying her face in his neck as he hid himself within frayed strands of gold. 

_And anytime you feel the pain  
Hey Jude, refrain  
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders_  
  
Before long, Opal realized that Obi-Wan had fallen asleep tucked away in her arms, warm breath ghosting her skin as his grip on her slackened. "Aunt Harmony?" A tiny voice asked as two year old Luke Skywalker stumbled into the bedroom, blonde hair messy and blue eyes wide with fright. Luke was the spitting image of his father with the personality of his mother. "Is-Is Uncle Ben alright?" 

Obi-Wan whimpered quietly in his sleep, and Opal leaned her head back down to check on him. It had been a _long_ time since she'd had to use a Force suggestion, but tonight seemed appropriate. " _Sleep."_ She whispered. Her husband succumbed to the overwhelming ease of The Force and fell deep into slumber, sliding right out of her arms and back into his place in the bed. Opal turned back to the door and extended her arms. "Come here Luke." The little boy complied immediately and scrambled up into the bed. "Uncle Ben is scared. I'm sorry he woke you." 

"Scared of what?" Luke asked. 

"Monsters." It was the easiest answer to give him. 

"Uncle Ben didn't wake me." Luke murmured. "I could.. I could _feel_ his.. his fear. It made my heart hurt." He looked at up at her. "Can I stay in here tonight? I.. I wanna keep him safe."   
  
Obi-Wan had told her that the sensitivity to the Force started early in life, so she wasn't surprised that the child of the supposed Chosen One had been able to pick up on the grief and fear of his Uncle. It amazed her how compassionate Luke was at such a tender age. When Beru invited them over while Owen was tending to the moisture farm, Luke was always grinning and eager to play with the only friend he'd had his entire childhood. Even at two years old, he had a thirst for adventure that mirrored Anakin's when she'd met him. 

The Skywalkers loved their stars. 

Tears fell down her face as she cradled Luke against her chest, glancing at the holo on the bedside table which sat across from Emma's crib. All the strength she'd built for Obi-Wan dissipated as a heavy sob rattled her chest and tears fell for the ones she'd lost. For the father who would never come home to his baby boy, for the mother who never got to meet her little girl who'd become Queen of another planet someday. For the lost Jedi, for her mind, for her husband, so broken by the events of the life they'd once lived. 

The facade of strength was something that came naturally to her, and tonight had shown that. When toddler Luke had come running into the room claiming his heart had hurt for his uncle and he wanted to sleep in their bed to keep him safe, that had broken the dam she'd spent the last several years building. They were wounded, they were _hurting,_ desperate for something familiar and something inviting. Something that would make this entire process easier. 

The Force whispered to her in the sound of her uncle's voice. 

_Why do you think you two are his guardians? You are the keepers of The Skywalker legacy. It lives through you, and so it will live through him and Emma._

She fell asleep thinking of the future she wanted for her daughter. For the future of their nephew, the embodiment of his father's heart. For the bright blue eyes of her husband who smiled when Opal flew Emma around the house and the baby stretched her arms out as if that would take her higher. 

Maybe all they needed was that. A little girl who wanted to go higher then anyone had gone before her, and a little boy with a thirst for adventure and desperate love for the stars. Maybe all they needed was Emma's smile and Luke's reassurance with the twinkling of his blue eyes.  
  
If they didn't receive it, if their lives were nothing but tragedy and heartbreak.. They'd be okay. They always were.  
 _Fin._


	26. BONUS TWO: Bruck vs Obi-Wan

Opal Stone bowed low as her Master nodded, clearly satisfied with how well her combat training had gone. Despite the fact she'd been far too old to be taken in as an Initiate when her parents had died, Mace Windu had been good friends with Parker and Lorelei and thus held a soft spot for their daughter. That respect he held for her parents carried through to her when he realized her potential in The Force and how _resilient_ she was. 

"That will be all for today, Padawan. You may go." He instructed. "We will return at daybreak to practice your Makashi. Understand?" 

Opal nodded in reply. "Yes Master. Good evening." Her voice was soft as she fled the room, intending on making it back to her bunk before she could run into any of the other Masters or their Padawans. She was desperate to see Obi-Wan, but he was most likely training with her uncle and too preoccupied to visit her. 

It had not been long since Obi-Wan had been brought back from the AgriCorp and taken in as Qui-Gon's Apprentice. Nothing had broken her heart like the look of defeat that had shone on his face when he was denied by almost every Master in the Jedi Order. He'd whispered his uncertainties to her in training and in the mess-hall, but despite that, he still held a clear determination to never allow himself to fail his newly appointed Master.   
  
The thought of it made her stomach clench. When he inevitably did fail Qui-Gon, it would break him. 

Sunlight filtered through the open windows of the Jedi Temple as Opal continued towards her quarters but was stopped by the sound of Bruck's voice. Bruck was a Padawan along with her and Obi-Wan and spent the greater majority of his time when he was supposed to be _training_ torturing her best friend instead. 

She couldn't see the victim of his torment from where she stood. 

" _You think the Stone girl likes you? Psh! You're the one who couldn't get a Master, Oafy-Wan. The Council only made Qui-Gon take you because nobody else wanted you! You're a failure, and you'll never be a Jedi!"_  
  
Opal recognized the red hair of her best friend who stood pinned against the wall by Bruck and Aalto. _Maker,_ these two are obnoxious. "Oh, _hello_ there!" She exclaimed. Bruck gasped as he and Aalto were thrown a considerable distance down the corridor by the female Jedi, who removed her blade from her tunic and ignited it. Obi-Wan gasped as anger radiated from her Force signature along with an overwhelming desire to protect- protect _him?_ "Leave him alone, you imbecile. You already know you're inferior. Don't you have anything else to do?"   
  
"You got picked _early_ , Stone. Windu was all over having you as his Padawan!" Aalto exclaimed. "Fourteen years old. Beautiful, strong, cunning and capable. Do you really want a coward like Kenobi, or one of the great Jedi of the future?" Opal's eyes flickered to Obi-Wan. Even at fourteen and sixteen, he was still fearful of failing the people he'd worked so hard to gain respect from. That had also included her pretty much since the day they'd met. 

"I'd take a coward over a false, proud warrior anyway." She snapped. "Now do run along, or I'll tell Master Yoda about your conspiracy. Or does your father _not_ know Xanatos?" Bruck's eyes widened and together he and Aalto took off across the Temple, ignoring the glares and shouts from those who passed them. 

"Why, _why_ would you stick up for me that way? Your Master will be angry, Opal!" 

"I don't care what my Master says about attachments, Obi-Wan." She murmured. Turning away from the mouth of the corridor, Opal took his hand in her own and frowned at his bruised knuckles. It was clear he'd put a fight before she arrived. "I agree with The Code, but I don't agree with the attachments aspect of it. It's wrong to deny someone feeling their emotions. But you.. You matter too much to me for me to just let endless torment slide. It's not right." She nudged her head in the direction she'd come. "I'm sure Vokara Che will be waiting for you when you arrive at The Halls of Healing. Hop to it, Kenobi." 

Obi-Wan grinned widely. "What would I ever do without you?" He asked. Deep scarlet bloomed across her cheeks as Opal Stone placed a hasty kiss on his cheek and scurried away from him to see his reaction. _Force,_ he was even more adorable when he was embarrassed. 

"Nothing. You'd be miserable without me." She mused in reply. "By the way, you're so cute whenever you're embarrassed."  
  
Despite the fact that he was sixteen years old, Obi-Wan still very much embodied the boy she'd met her first day in The Jedi Order. Had she known the desires of her heart better, Opal would've guessed that she held a deeper affection for Obi-Wan. one that developed well past friendship. "I-I better go." He said. "Do you wish to train together tomorrow?"  
  
"I wouldn't want anything else, Kenobi." She replied. "Goodnight."  
  
Opal watched in awe as he fled down the hall, Padawan braid loosely hanging on his shoulder, as he made his way to The Halls of Healing just as she had told him to do. 

_He's such an idiot._  
  
But he's my idiot.


	27. Book Two: Redeemed

_It's like in the great stories  
The ones that really mattered  
Full of darkness and danger they were  
And sometimes you don't want to know the end   
  
_Emma would spend most of her nights with that incredibly whiny, handsome, _impossible_ boy named Luke Skywalker deep inside the confines of her home, curled up in his arms as they slept the night away. Emma Kenobi was a girl built from fire and brimstone, with eyes that reflected stars and a heart made of gold. She remembered nights where she would trace the outlines of Luke's peaceful face, her fingers falling in love with the laughter lines growing around his mouth.  
  
She had grown up knowing the ancient stories of The Jedi and the downfall of Anakin Skywalker. She'd grown up knowing Luke's real heritage and the secret it remained. The thought of him never knowing the truth of the legacy that lived on through him broke her heart. Her mother had been adamant that these stories remain secret, as had her father. Obi-Wan took Emma into the desert near a cluster of caves where they often trained in saber combat and after all was said and done, he told her stories of the Old Republic and the Skywalker/Kenobi family. There was always fondness in his eyes when he spoke of his past. 

There was also sadness too. 

"Em, you've got that far away look in your eyes." Luke murmured. Emma had been incredibly distant since her mother had taken ill. Obi-Wan seemed certain that Opal would not last, and the thought of losing her mother at such an early age in life terrified her to her core. "Hey you. Don't shut me out. Not me." 

But she did.

That night, Emma Kenobi kissed Luke's forehead and flashed him a sad smile before disappearing into the dunes and making her way towards the only home she'd ever known. Joy rang through The Force when Opal made a miraculous recovery and her parents continued to train her in the art of the Jedi. Her father exhibited a grace with his blade she had not thought possible, and her mother's mind constantly stunned her. They were a deadly pair to defeat. 

The longer that the Skywalker/Kenobi pair spent apart, the more they forgot about the other. Emma became nothing but a distant memory to Luke. With bright eyes like her father and the smile that melted his heart, she seemed more like a dream then someone he had known. Luke, however, Luke was her craving and her desperation. Luke was everything Emma wanted.   
  
He was unforgettable. Just like his father.   
  
All it took was a sunny day on Tatooine, a reunion between a couple of droids, and a whole lot of lies to reunite the now 18 year old Emma Kenobi with the boy who _forgot._


End file.
